Valoran Bleeding: Mages
by Erindor
Summary: Some of the most powerful mages in all of Valoran are called to a meeting, where Valoran's future might be decided. All the while something is wrong in Freljord and the Void is coming to Shuriman lands. Multiple characters else than the ones listed. Future AU. My first work, might suck.
1. Chapter 1: Mages in the Mountains

Chapter 1: The Five Mages

**AN: This is my first fanfic ever. I hope that whoever reads this likes it, I tried to make this story good as hard as I could. Feel free to review, I'd love to know what do you think about my fanfic. And enjoy this read (If I make any stupid mistakes in spelling or vocabulary, I'm not actually an native english speaker, so please don't rage, I'll correct it if possible).**

* * *

The redhead arrived at Steel Peak. It was a very beautiful city on the Ironspike Mountains. Also, it was the capital of the independent kingdom of Trigum. Trigum was the kingdom that rose from the rests of the now gone Institute of War. It was home to many former summoners and to mages from all over Valoran. It was said that the ruler of said kingdom was the most powerful mage in the world, but no one was certain about who was the king, apart from its citizen. The kingdom also had lots of common citizen who weren't mages, but those had way less influence than the magic adept population. There, she met one old acquaintance of hers.

"Lulu! Where were you? It has been years since I've last met you!"

"Oh, the strawberry wants to play?"

"Nevermind. Have you seen someone else from the old times?"

"Yes, she has. And you'd better not say my name as loud as hers."

"I see. Anyways, it is nice to see you. I guess you are still together then?"

"Of course! Why would I be here with her if not for that reason?"

* * *

"Sir, they have arrived."

"Good. I had started to get impatient. Bring them here as soon as possible."

"Understood. They'll be here within fifteen minutes."

* * *

Four very powerfull mages, known and feared all over Valoran, were walking down a hallway in their host's mansion. The fire mage, a beautiful red haired woman that seemed to be in her early twenties, broke the silence.

"So, where were you all these years, Veigar?"

"None of your concern, fire mage."

"Don't be impolite like that, you muffin!"

"Lulu, how many times will I have to tell you to stop calling me like that?"

"More than you will be able to, my cupcake." Said the Fae Sorceress.

"I guess I can't argue with that. Anyways, does any of you know why were we called here? Or at least who called us?"

"I have no idea." Was the answer of both the fire mage and the ionian sorceress.

"I guess we are going to do a sweep through the softwoods, chasing off the rabbits that invaded the black marsh." Lulu said. Nobody bothered to point out that what she said made no sense.

"Well, we will soon know, anyways." The Ionian sorceress said as they arrived to the end of the hallway, pointing at an rune-engraved door.

"I hope so. Shall we?" Asked the yordle sorcerer after the doors were opened.

* * *

As the four mages entered the room, the lights inside it shifted from a very deep shade of green to a much brighter blue. "Ah, I see you are here already! I hope you will forgive me for not preparing a proper welcoming party, but I had no time for such frivolities. Anyways, we need to talk about very serious matters, but we could do it later." A metallic voice announced.

The jaw of all the four mages, even that of Lulu, dropped as they saw who was the mysterious man that had called them for a meeting. They were quite sure it was a wizard or some kind of magician from the message they received, but they would never had believed that magician to be Xerath, the infamous Shuriman ascended Magus.

The first to recover from the shock was the redhead: "Teacher, what are you doing here? I thought you were in Shurima, or in the Institute ruins!"

"Wait what TEACHER?" Both Veigar and the Ionian asked in unison. Xerath had only taken in one student in his whole existence, which meant…

"ANNIE! You changed so much! I couldn't even _recognize_ you!" The Ionian exclaimed full of surprise.

"You have changed nothing, though." The ascendant immediately said. "Except maybe a slight change in your power. It seems like you have earned more control over your magic. How hard have you been training, Syndra?"

Annie and Veigar looked a bit stunned as they recognized the ionian

"Heh, you got me. I guess different clothing and a bit of cloaking magic aren't enough to deceive you."

"You are right on that guess. Anyways, I think we had enough briefing. You must be tired from traveling through the Ironspike Mountains. Feel free to rest now, this servant here will take you to your rooms. We shall meet again after the lunch tomorrow, and I will tell you all that I need you to know."

"Yeah, I guess I could use some rest" Annie said.

"Me too. I'm not used to having to walk, but the Mountains were too close to some cities I would rather not be identified by, so no hovering magic on the way."

"Let's go, my gateau! You will not forget this night even after your socks have gone to the flower's mansion!" Veigar blushed heavily after that comment from Lulu, while Annie and Syndra laghed as hard as it was possible for them and Xerath chuckled. Xerath then said to Lulu: "Enjoy your night, but try to let the poor fool to have some rest. I do not want to see him sleeping during our meeting tomorrow". Veigar only blushed harder while Annie and Syndra were trying to stop their laughter. They were able to calm down about two minutes later.

"Well, this man here is my butler, Charles. He will show you the rooms you will be staying for now. If you need anything, feel free to call his name. The magic I infused the rooms with will be sure to warn him and he will be with you as soon as possible. Now, if you excuse me, I will take my leave. I still need to do a bit of research for an important subject we will discuss tomorrow." After saying that, the Ascendant hovered out of the room and let the other four mages with the butler.

"Master Syndra, Master Hastur, Master Lulu and Master Veigar, I will show you your rooms. Please follow me."

"OK."

"Certainly."

"With rapidityness!"

"Lead the way."

* * *

Annie entered her room and was surprised by how the room was inside. "I guess Teacher knows more about me than I supposed. How did he discover where I had left Tibbers?" She had been expecting the room to be a place like her old room in the now fallen Institute, but it was nothing like that. Her room in the Institute was a standart room for champions, and had just a bit of decoration she had bought. This room though was full of decorations that she instantly loved. It was pink, her favorite color. Also, her pet was in the room already.

_Whatever, I guess the old guy has a trick up his sleeve. _"Come here Tibbers!" As she called, a teddy bear like creature looked towards her and then immediately started sprinting towards her, jumping at her and hugging her tightly. "Did you miss me that much? I guess it was a good idea to get you back in an animated form so that you could walk even in the small size." The living teddy bear just kept hugging her.

_I wonder how the other rooms are like…_

* * *

"Master Syndra, this is your room. I do hope it pleases you."

"Very much, actually. Thank you, Charles." Syndra politely said, while looking around her room. It had taken her by surprise how the room actually looked nice and comfortable. It was just like the master bedroom in her palace at Ionia, except by the size of the room and a few different decorations. The mattress looked even softer than her bed, with the fluffiest pair of pillows she had ever seen on it. She couldn't wait to lie down the bed and test if it was as confortable as it seemed.

"Very well, I will leave you by yourself now. There is a bit of tea in that cupboard if you want some."

She nodded while the butler left the room. She instantly went to the cupboard. It was green tea, her favorite.

_Seems like Xerath knows me better that I would ever imagine._

* * *

"My brownie, what are you doing there?"

"Can you at least decide which kind of cake are you going to call me?"

"Of course not! Wouldn't want to anger the butterflies and weeds, would we?"

Veigar just gave up. There was just no way he could win an argument against Lulu. "At least keep a pattern, then"

"I am following one, marshmallow."

Veigar sighed. All Charles did while watching the scene unfold was keep his calm temper, Veigar noticed. _I am going to like this servant. Maybe even consider him worth to talk with sometimes._

"Master Lulu, Master Veigar, this is your room."

"Wait, _ours?_"

"Yes, Master Xerath asked me to get only one room for both of you."

_Damnit Xerath! I am going to have your head on a pike for this!_

"Hey Veigar, what are you waiting?" Lulu had a smile he had never seen on her before. A _seductive _smile. She also had removed her hat and was unbuttoning her dress. _On a second thought, I probably will be thanking him for this. And did she just call me Veigar?_

* * *

**AN: Do you like it? Do you want me to continue writing? Do you think I write badly? Do you want me to burn in hell? WAIT THAT WAS A RETORICAL QUESTION! WHAT DO YOU MEAN WITH 'Yes'?**

**I guess I had that coming, should not have asked if someone wanted me to suffer forever. :(**


	2. Chapter 2: The Wanderer

Chapter 2: The Wanderer

**AN: So, here I have chapter two. This chapter is a bit short, but the next ones will be longer. I hope that whoever is reading this enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you feel like, please send a review with your opinion. If you like it, I'm glad I made something you could enjoy. Also, thanks for Altair (guest name) and unnamed guest for sending reviews. I'll try my hardest to make the dialogues easier to follow, and also I'll try to get Syndra's personality right. Xerath will still be OOC though, it's a part of the story. You'll see what I mean (Maybe I should have warned about this in the summary, but I didn't, and I'm too lazy to correct it). Oh, and also, I'm sorry if I gave you expectations about this LuVei ship. It will not have much importance in the actual plot.**

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A cloaked man walked alone through the desert. Very few people in all of Valoran knew who he was, but the locals called him "The Wanderer". Some said that he was one of Malzahar's cultists, others that he was a champion from the old League, and some even supposed he was one of the Voidborn. However, on one thing everyone from the desert agreed: Whatever he was doing so far in the old Shuriman ruins couldn't be good. And the people wanted the Emperor itself to intervene because, even though the local authorities had tried to cast him out, nobody had had success thus far.

But there was a man who knew why The Wanderer was there. This man was Kassadin.

And he was eating a cup of noodles when someone knocked his door.

"Oh, you're back! What did you find in the deep ruin exploration?" Kassadin said while going back to his noodles.

"A few informations about Icathian rituals. Thanks to that, now I am sure about where Malzahar will make his next move. He wants to open the gate for a Titan."

Kassadin choked on his noodles.

"A-A-A A TITAN? ARE YOU SURE?"

"Yes"

"THEN WE NEED TO ACT NOW!"

"Already done, I just sent you a clone with the message. I am destroying the summoning site right now."

"…"

"Also, you've let your noodles fall all over the floor."

"NOOO! MY LUNCH!"

* * *

Xerath was having a good morning. He was spending all his time in planning the meeting with the others, and, when he finished all the preparations for the meeting at two AM, he decided it was time to chill out. And how to chill out better than by doing his favorite hobby? So he spent all the time from 2 AM till 7:55 AM dancing. He loved it. Yes, he never sleeps.

At 7:56 he stopped dancing and went to the breakfast room.

The room was very different from the last time he was there. For the first time since he had finished building it, all the six chairs on the table on which he'd usually eat would be occupied. But the atmosphere was very different from the last time he had lots of guests. That was on a politicall meeting between Noxus and Demacia. It was decided for some reason that he would be a good neutral host. Maybe it was because both sides would be way too afraid of angering the host and paying the price. After all, Xerath was one of the strongest mages in Valoran.

The last meeting had tensions between both sides, but right now, the only tension was a blushing Veigar between three laughing girls. Lulu was also blushing a bit. Xerath was already guessing what had happened, and he decided to let a less serious side of him come to surface.

"Hello, my fellow magicians! It is delightful seeing that you have already grown close. Especially you two, yordles."

"Fuck off"

"Don't swear, you dumb donut!"

"Whatever" From his face, it seemed like Veigar was asking himself what he was doing there.

"Well, I am here to remind you that the meeting shall happen at 1:30 PM. Please don't be late. Yes, I'm talking to the yordles." Xerath teased.

"Shut up, firefly." Veigar retorted.

"What? **FIREFLY?**" Xerath shouted, extremely angered by the nickname.

"Yes"

After hearing that, Xerath darted out of the room. It was a strategical retreat.

"I guess you won that one, Veigar" Said a happy Lulu.

"Damn right. You shouldn't mess with Veigar"

* * *

It had been three years since the fall of the Institute. Neither the demacians nor the noxians had expected the outcome of the Great War that came after it. Nobody had expected it. But he wasn't one to complain.

The world after the Great War hadn't changed much, for no one was dumb enough to use rune magic at war again. Every single mage in Valoran knew what a runic cannon would do to the world if it was fired, and no one would risk destroying the world to win a battle.

But there was one clear change. The void was invading more frequently. Malzahar's cult was being able to use the portal magic with ridiculous frequency.

Talking about ridiculous, the being right in front of him could only be described as ridiculous. Why would any living being be 150 feet tall? And the being also had an equally big magical power. But he could do the job. He was the Ghost. He was the Sandstorm. He was the Heavenly Fire. He was the Unseen Mage. He was the wanderer. And no Void Titan could stop him.

* * *

At 2 PM, the five mages met in Xerath's living room. It was an enourmous room with an equally big televisor attached to one of the walls. On the couch six people could be sitting at the same time. In the middle of the room, there was a round table for ten. Each of the mages took one spot at the table, leaving five open.

"So, why did you call me? I'm quite sure that it was not to try to boost my relationship with Lulu, and I know for sure that it wasn't to make me give you an unnerving nickname."

"Well, you're right. I said it was a serious reason, didn't I?"

Everyone at the table nodded in agreement.

"The reason I called you…"

**AN: Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I had to do it. I'M SORRY! DON'T KILL ME! HOW WILL YOU KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY IF I'M DEAD? What? You said you can write better than me? Ok (sniff,sniff), I'm going back to top lane. (sniff sniff)**

**Hope you are liking this story. I know this chapter is a bit short, but I thought it was perfect with this lenght. Next one is double the size of this one.**


	3. Chapter 3: New Valoran's Politics

Chapter 3: New Political Organization of Valoran

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**AN: So, it seems like my OC actually belongs to Darude. Well, I don't care. Anyways, here, have a chapter! This one has an self-explanatory title. I hope all you readers like this one. Plot is developing here. :D**

* * *

"The reason I called you… I called you here to suggest an alliance." Xerath said.

"An… Alliance?" Asked Syndra, her disbelief obvious from her reaction.

"Why should I align myself with you? Why should any of us do that?" Added Veigar.

"It is simple. We all value magic. We all value the wisdom. And after what has been happening all over Valoran, after the end of the Great War, the ones that are like us have been pursued by the governments all over Valoran." Was Xerath's answer.

Lulu, Veigar and Syndra looked at him with disbelief painted on their faces.

"Wait… Mages have been followed and emprisioned by Noxus and Demacia?" Syndra questioned.

"Has Noxus been slaying mages again?" Veigar also asked.

"Were their cupcakes stolen by the Noxian?" Lulu asked, nearly making Xerath chuckle at the ramdomness. Usually he would have laughed at such a comment, but it really wasn't the time for laughs. No one in the room knew the city-states that had taken control of Valoran in the last three years. He guessed he'd have to explain.

"Were have you guys been living for three years? Under a damned rock?" Annie said in a very enraged voice. _Uh oh, -_Xerath thought- _I forgot Annie was Noxian. The mention of her city-state as a possible reason for these actions must have angered her a lot._

"Well, Lulu managed to drag me to the Glade. It's a long story." Veigar answered quickly.

"I suppose you are aware of the Ionian civil war? I was kind of occupied there."

"Well then, I guess you _were_ living under a rock after all. Noxus and Demacia are against this witch hunt, but they don't have power to stop it."

The whole table fell silent. Syndra and Veigar were thinking about the unexpected news, while Annie and Xerath were watching the reactions from the former two and Lulu was looking at her hat. After a few minutes, Veigar broke the silence.

"How?"

"What do you mean by 'How?'" Annie asked.

"How is it possible that Noxus and Demacia can't stop the persecution even if they finally agree on something?"

"They simply don't have the influence to stop it. After the war, both sides were pretty much destroyed. Two countries used that on their favor. They now are the most influent forces on Valoran. Both are against independant mages. And one especially hates them. Xerath could explain this part better."

Xerath let a mildly annoyed sigh out, and then Veigar made the most important question at that moment.

"And which would those countries be?"

"This will probably get your mind blown, but the countries are…" Xerath started, but was interrupted by a hurried knocking at the door. "Come in"- Xerath said -"And it'd better be important. I said that I wanted no interruptions except if it is because of top priority causes."

"It is of higest priority, my friend." A male voice announced from inside the room.

Everyone immediately turned in the direction of the voice. Sitting in the chair aside Syndra's was a cloaked man. His cloak covered all of his body and was sky blue. Under his hood, a white mask covered his face. Strapped to his back was a golden scepter, with a blue crystal-like gem mounted on its tip.

"Who are you?" Xerath said. " And how did I not feel the teleportation magic you used?

"How you didn't feel my magic doesn't matter. As for who am I, you can call me The Wanderer."

"I have already heard that name. Would you kindly remind me from where I might have heard about you?" Xerath politely asked, but it was clear that he was suffering to not just incinerate the intruder with one of his Arcane Pulses.

"You probably heard some lies from Shuriman who happened to pass around here. The people from the desert hates any 'intruder', as they call me."

Xerath seemed to calm down a bit as he identified himself a bit with the unknown mage. "Oh, that happened since my time. Just ignore them."

"Yes, but they've been complaining to Azir himself. I don't have time to go answer in a tribunal. Anyways, I didn't come here for small talk. I have a very important reason to be here."

"And what is your reason then?"

"I've come to annunciate that I shall take Kassadin's place in his business with you."

"Well, I can't just give it to you. You have to prove that Kassadin's agreed to this."

"I know. Kassadin asked me to tell you to use a long range communication magic and talk directly with him."

"So be it." After saying this, Xerath stood from his chair and started to chant something. After a few seconds, an image started to form in the middle of the room, just over the table. In the middle of the image, Kassadin stood, apparently examining the massive head of what seemed to be a 150 feet long purple octopus.

"Kassadin! Is that one of the Void Titans? How did you slay that?" Xerath asked in a very surprised voice.

Kassadin was visibly shaken from hearing a voice coming out of nowhere, but he recomposed himself quickly and turned around. All traces of surprise were removed from his face when he saw his roommate and Xerath.

"Oh, he's arrived already! I thought he wouldn't be in your home until midnight, Xerath." Said Kassadin.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, just tell me how did you defeat this monster!" Xerath insisted.

"Oh, this one here? I didn't defeat it."

"Then how in the sands of Shurima can you have its corpse?"

"You should ask my roommate, the one that's aside you."

"Wait what?" Xerath asked. "Do you mean that guy killed this Void-titan-thinghy?"

Kassadin nodded while grabbing a black knife with red runes engraved on it.

"Yes." Said the Wanderer. "And that guy has a name."

"Well then, what is your name, oh Titan Slayer?"

"My name is Erindor. And please, don't create new titles to me. I already have enough. The Unseen Mage and the Sandstorm are examples of titles I have, but I prefer to go by the title of Wanderer." Kassadin chuckled a bit at that, remembering how the cloaked man got so many titles, but nobody paid him any attention.

"Whatever, we all know that we are going to call you by your name and not by some dumb title" Syndra intervened. "And what is Kassadin's importance in all of this anyways? I thought it was an alliance between us five."

"And it is. But we need allies in between our enemies. We need spies. And that is what Kassadin did for me. As a payback I helped him with fighting the Void."

"OH FUC* IT'S GONNA BLOW UP! RUUUNN!" Kassadin screamed. By now everyone had forgotten him, even though the magic Xerath had casted was still working. By the magical image, they saw one of the dead creature's eyes bulging and then explode, launching a wave of smoke and goo in the air. Kassadin was covered by the greenish goo and everyone in the meeting room, except Xerath and Erindor, said something like "Eek" or "Sick". Xerath said nothing, and after laughing for ten whole seconds, Erindor started talking.

"I'm surprised you're still alive, Kass. You should never start by the left side of the head when dissecating something from the Void, or it is _surely_ going to blow up."

"Yeah, alright, I totally knew that, just wanted to call your attention. I need to tell you that things here in Shurima have been stable. This is my last report to you, Xerath. My friend there will do what I used to do until now." Kassadin said while wiping some goo from his face. Right after his image disappeared.

"Alright then, I guess I still need to tell you the rest of the situation in Valoran" Xerath said. "Well, Piltover and Zaun are still just like they used to be, major difference is that Zaun is now ruled by Viktor and has half of its population composed of cyborgs, and Bandle City has created the most solid defenses on all Valoran. No one can invade Yordleland, but the yordles can't go out of it for security reasons. Bilgewater has elected Gangplank as its Mayor for the tenth time and Miss Fortune still hasn't gotten over it. Something about the patriarchal society and stuff like that. The situation of the Isles is unknown, and Syndra can explain what is happening in Ionia way better than me."

"What about Noxus and Demacia?" Asked Syndra.

"Noxus had its grand general slain, and is now ruled by a council of five. They are me, Darius, Riven, Katarina and Ultor." Annie said to Syndra.

"And who is this Ultor guy? Also, I thought noxians despised Riven." Veigar intervened.

"Ultor is the leader of the Red Legion, the only noxian unit that was not defeated until Noxus had fallen. It still is undefeated in battle, and one of the most prestigious rankings of the noxian military is being a raw soldier in it." Erindor said. "And also, now Riven is considered as a symbol of reconstruction and rising stronger after defeat in Noxus."

"Well, I see you, at least, are well acquainted with the political power in Valoran. I'm happy to know that at least one of the newcomers know why this alliance is happening." Said Xerath.

"How couldn't I, considering where I live?"

"You have got a point there."

"Anyways, you were saying that the most influent countries in Valoran would blow our minds, but you still didn't tell us which are the countries."

"Oh, true. I forgot what I was saying after we were interru- er... – after we had passed to another question. Those countries are Freljord and Shurima."

"WAIT WHAT FRELJORD? Who won the war there?" Syndra asked in a very surprised tone. She hadn't expected the conflict there to be over.

"No one won the war. The three sides, as weird as this may sound, united themselves."

"And who rules Freljord?" Syndra kept asking.

"A triumvirate. The members of it are known as Ice, Snow and Winter." Answered Xerath.

"Should I suppose that Ashe, Sejuani and Lissandra are ruling there toghether?" Was Veigar's question.

"No, their corpses were found by the Shuriman Empire when it had expanded far enough to reach southern Freljord." Erindor said before Xerath could say anything.

"And which country hates independent mages?"

"The Shuriman Empire. It has expanded towards northwestern Valoran, reaching Noxus and conquering it. Noxus became a province of the Shuriman Empire. It keeps most of its independence, but if the Emperor call us for a war or create a new rule for our lands, we must obey. They hate independant mages because pretty much of Azir's past with Xerath. It seems like Azir is sure that exemplar punition to those who are alone will make all mages way too afraid to betray him like Xerathy here did."

Xerath twitched at his new nickname.

"As for Demacia, it fell to the Iceborn Triumvirate and their armies. Demacians have lost their hope, as the Crownguard siblings have been exiled and all the Lightshields have died. The 'ruler' of the New Demacia is Alfred Spiritmight, a nobleman that Garen should have killed for betrayal, but didn't kill to attend the former queen's, Alfred's aunt, pleas. Had he killed him, maybe Demacia wouldn't have fallen to the Iceborn Empire." Annie effectively removed all the doubts with her two-minutes speech.

"I'm afraid we don't have any other information to give you. So, will you join us?"

"Like we had a choice." Said Veigar. Syndra nodded in agreement.

"I do have one condition though." Veigar added. "I am on a quest, you see, and can't promise that I will be here whenever you want me to. I will be traveling across Valoran. Call me only if my help is obligatory, and if my help wasn't needed, whoever made the false call will suffer for it."

"Agreed. Anyone else has some special condition?" Xerath asked. No one else had special conditions.

"Then it's decided." Xerath announced. "From now on, we are the Magical Alliance of Ionia, Noxus and Trigum. If you would follow me, we need to make an oath to seal this union, and I have the perfect place for such oath." And with those words, Xerath ended the meeting.

* * *

**AN: How surprising, no cliffhangers. I guess I don't want to hang from a cliff.**

**Bad jokes corp.**

**I did a lot of storytelling here, so this chapter was a bit long. But it's ok, isn't it? Wait, did you say it isn't? Ok then, I'll just go back to top lane. Stop hurting my feelings ;-;**

**Anyways, I'm out. Thank you for reading, and have a good day (or night).**


	4. Chapter 4: Past of a Mage

Chapter 4: Past of a Mage

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**AN: ****Chapter**** Four is here. I really hope you find this chapter good, it adds a background to the OC in this fanfific an is the longest I've ever written until now. Be ready, next chapter will start a new part of the story.**

* * *

_It was already dark. I was lost. I didn't know where I was, nor why I was there. I just knew two things: My magic and that wherever I had the bad luck of waking on, it had no one living in it . I was in the middle of a jungle, a place where no civilized human would dare to sleep in if not needed. For the third time I saw one of those accursed cougars. I hoped they wouldn't jump me and slay me right there. But I also needed to find food. _

_And then I saw her. A beautiful woman, with a tanned skin and some tribal markings over her body. Her clothes were minimal and she was carrying a javelin in her right hand. Unluckily she also saw me. Next thing I knew, a cougar had pounced on me and was biting my arm. I kept calm and did one of the things I remembered. I unleashed a force pulse that knocked the cougar away. It went flying straight to a tree and forcefully slammed against it. It then turned back in the woman I had seen before, and she fainted._

_I knew that a woman who can turn into a cougar is not normal, but I still had to help her, so I carried her to a lake I had seen earlier and put her next to the water. I absorbed energy from the water and transferred it to her in the only healing magic I knew. She soon seemed to be better but she was still sleeping, so I decided that she could be my savior. I bounded her hands with the power I retrieved from the ground. She most surely wouldn't have a trick that could cancel the magical suppression in that spell, would she?_

_I turned out she didn't have, so I tried to approach her calmly and to not cause an aggressive response. It didn't work out very well._

"Why did you bind me? And why are you trying to sneak on me after I've been bound by you?" she yelled loudly.

"Woah, calm down. We don't want to be killed by some predator from this forest, do we?"

"The most dangerous creature in this forest is my ally, and he is right behind you"

"Oh fu-"

_I was quickly knocked out cold by something from behind. _

* * *

_When I regained consciousness, I was inside a shack, with some bola-thinghies wrapping my hands. I raised my head, and saw my captors. The woman I had met before was sitting on a tree stump, and the creature that had knocked me out was standing aside her. It was an anthropozoomorphical lion-wolf hybrid, and I guessed it was male. The woman then saw I had opened my eyes and whispered something in the lion dude's ear. He then came ahead and asked me:_

"Who are you, and what are your business in the Kumungu jungle? If you don't state your business right now, your head will be hung over my fireplace in my shack."

"He means it, intruder." _The woman said from afar._

"Wait, where am I? Kumungu Jungle? I never heard about this place!"

"Wrong answer."

"Stop, Rengar! He's telling the truth."

"What? Really? Well then, my job is over here if it is as you say."

"Goodbye, Rengo. And thank you for saving me. Although I can know when someone is telling lies or saying the truth, I cannot read minds. Who knows what he'd have done hadn't you arrived…"

"Yeah, I know, I'm the best friend you ever had"

"Don't get cocky"_ She said in a weird voice. Both started laughing, and the lion dude called Rengar went away just after._

"So, what exactly are you?"_ I dared to ask._

"Me? _Your mistress_."_ She said with a seductive tone and grin._

_'__Well, seems like I'm in for a long night.'-I thought._

"Just kidding, I am Nidalee, and I am the one doing the questions here. First question is who are you?"

"Me? I actually have no idea. I am a mage, I think."

"Amnesia then? Do you know your name?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"I remembered it!"

"What?

"I remembered my name! I also remembered some other things. I'm called Erindor."

"Erindor, huh? Never heard a name like that. Did you remember from where are you?"

"Belarc."

"Where?"

"BelArc, major city in the country of Cultra. Haven't you heard about it?"

"There is no Cultra nor Belarc in all of Valoran. You aren't from here."

"Where? Valoran? Is that the name of this place?"

"Yes. Have you ever heard about it?"

"Well, I remember some tales about a place with a name like that, but I never believed that there it would be a land that is beyond the sea."

"Well, seems like you have quite the tale to tell me. Would you mind joining me for dinner?"

_My stomach rumbled loudly at the mention of dinner._

"I suppose that this is an affirmative answer."- She concluded.

* * *

"So you are telling me that you met Nidalee close to her home and she didn't skin you alive?" Syndra asked. Her, Erindor, Annie, Veigar and Lulu were having a party-ish night at Xerath's, to celebrate the new alliance they'd made.

"Yes, was she supposed to kill me?" Erindor said, glaring at Syndra after her coment.

"Nevermind." The sorceress answered.

"So you are from somewhere else? How is the place where you come from?" Annie asked. Her face was a bit red, signaling that she had had a few drinks already.

"It's an enormous country. The country itself is probably bigger than Valoran whole. There are three other countries close to it, each at least as big as my own. The land is always hot as summer where I used to live. There is no snow in that part of the continent, and until I had seen it in Valoran, I tought that it was only created from Ice Magic. As you can see, communication between the countries is very rare. I bet that the southernmost country would kind of be like the Freljord, as the furthest you go south there, the colder the weather."

"What? That must be a strange place indeed." Was the comment of the yordle in a blue robe.

"Not really, it is quite similar to Valoran. Shurima kind of reminds me of my country, but my country wasn't an Empire. It was a Republic."

"A… what?" Syndra asked

"A model of government where the people can choose the rulers and decide most laws."

"I've never heard of something like that. Maybe it could work in Noxus." The redhead said with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Maybe, but I don't think the rest of your council would like that idea. Riven maybe would support you, but you'd need at least four on your side to put that government model in activity."

"True, Erindor. But let's change the topic a bit. What happened between you and Nida after the dinner?" Annie asked.

"Nothing very special. We talked a bit about Valoran, she offered me a bed to rest on and I departed the next morning." '_It isn't important that the bed was hers. Something about mating season, she said'_ Erindor thought.

"Just that? I thought there it would be something else to that part of the story." Was the white haired woman's comment.

"Then you thought it wrong. After that encounter, I went north and found Kassadin fighting a crab-like being in the tip of the jungle I was in."

"Hey, you were lucky, you know. Had you found Zyra, I'm sure you wouldn't be here right now." Annie said.

"Then I'm lucky. Now I'll tell you how I became Kassadin's friend."

* * *

_The sun was shining brightly in the sky, but I had been used to it from the life I used to have in the desertlike land I lived in. I was walking north for three days, and the forest was starting to get less dense. Just like Nidalee had said._

_I was thinking about stopping and setting camp when I heard fighting noises. I rushed straight to where the sounds were coming from. Foolish move, I know, but it was a reflex action._

_I soon arrived to a clearing in the forest. Right in the middle of it, there was a giant crablike creature, and a purple skinned man was fighting it. I decided that I should help the purple skinned man, so I created a blade with the winds and hurled it against the crab. It was a direct hit and it probably was enough to kill the crab, as it fell to the ground and stopped moving._

"Hey, who are you?"_ The man asked._

"Me? Just a lost traveler."

"Tell me the truth now. No simple traveler would know magic strong enough to put a Voidling down in one hit."

"Yeah, I'm just a lost guy with strong magic. Is it so hard to believe that I don't know where am I?"

"Yes, it is. Your magic is more than strong enough for you to create a portal and go where you need to."

_'__I will have to tell him all the tale. All right then.'_

* * *

"So that's how you met your roommate. So predictable." Syndra said in a bored voice.

"You want me to tell you the truth or some kind of epic tale?"

"Both, if possible." She answered.

"I'll keep telling the truth, then."

* * *

_After he heard my tale, the purple man decided to let me join him, as I had nowhere to go. I followed him to a camp he had previously set up and we had dinner._

"So this thing is what you call a 'Lemonade'?"

"I still can't believe you never had one. It's the best drink ever!"

_I had a sip from the cup he had handed me. It was actually quite good, but he had exaggerated when he said it was the best drink ever. I decided I could show him what a really good soft drink is like._

"Hey, have a taste of this." _I said while summoning a can of soda from my fridge. Surprising how this simple spell worked even after I was at a world's distance from my house._

"And what is this _thing_ supposed to be?"

"A drink. One that I consider better than lemonade."

"IMPOSSIBLE!"

"Just drink it before yelling, guy. Oh, I forgot to ask you before. What is your name?"

"It's Kassadin. Also, how can I open this thing here."

"Oh, just pass it to me."

_I opened the can and handed him the drink._

"So, is this like a sparkling wine?"

"Not even close. Just taste it."

_He downed a bit of the drink. Soon after, he was asking me for another one._

"I told you it was better than lemonade."

"JUST GIVE ME ANOTHER CAN! I NEED IT!"

_I summoned a whole 2 liters (about half gallon) bottle._

"There's enough for both of us, calm down."

* * *

"And that is how I became his roommate."

"Really? With a drink?" Annie asked like she wasn't believing in what she just had heard.

"Not just any drink. Wanna have some of it?"

"Actually, I do want to know how that drink is like." Syndra said, while both the yordles nodded in agreement.

"Whatever, I don't think it can be better than Xerath's liquor." Annie said. "Why does he have such a good liquor? I don't think he even _drinks_ it. The bottle was still sealed."

"You'll see how good it is." Erindor said while pulling something out of nowhere. It was a large bottle of a yellow-ish sparkling liquid.

"So, who wants some?"

Everyone except Annie wanted.

"Hey Annie, don't you want a bit of this?" Syndra asked.

"Ok then. It'd better be good."

Everyone tasted it at the same time. Erindor saw four different reactions.

Veigar choked and spat the yellow liquid.

Syndra seemed to have loved it as much as Kassadin, for her cup was empty in less than four seconds.

Lulu offered a bit to Pix, who was sitting on her shoulder. "Even though it's yellow, it tastes more like green." She said.

Annie… her face was unreadable.

"Can I have a bit more?" Syndra asked.

"That thing is way too sweet, for fuck's sake! Why didn't you warn me?" Veigar said in an angered voice.

"Yeah, it's good. I can't even be sure if I prefer Xerath's liquor or this drink here." Was Annie's veredict.

"I told ya. Talking about liquor, have you ever tasted an Emera?"

"An what?" Asked Annie.

"I suppose that's no." Erindor said while giving Syndra her third cup of soda. He then took another bottle from nowhere.

"Is that this 'Emera' thing you had talked about?" Annie asked. Curiosity was plastered all over her face.

"Yes, and it is the best drink I've ever had. I believe you'll agree with me on that after you have a sip from it."

_I handed her a small cup of the drink. She tasted it and then it seemed like my guess about her drinking preferences was right._

"This… This 'Emero' thing is amazing! I have never tasted such a good drink!"

"I knew you'd like it."

"From where do you get this stuff?"

"From my home. It seems like the spell that let me acess some storages inside my house back there works the same even when I'm on the other side of the world."

"Weird. But I'm not the one to complain. Now I understand how you convinced Kass to share a room with you."

"Yeah, it took long enough. Does someone want some pizza?"

"Piz-what?" everyone asked, except Lulu. Lulu was just not paying any attention.

_Oh, I forgot this isn't my land for some time. Well, I do have the time to explain them what a pizza is…_

* * *

**AN: So there's no pizza in Valoran? And what is this Emera thing? I'll let you guess the second one. Please review sending me your opinion if you feel like, I love reviews. :)**

**Also, can you guess what is my main champion? What? Did you say you don't give a fuck? Ok, (sniff) I'll just go back to my top lane then (sniff, sniff). ;-;**


	5. Chapter 5: Mages in Ionia

Chapter Five: Mages in Ionia

* * *

**AN: So, Chapter five. Here is where the action starts. I love you all for reading this, and hope you like the story. Also, chapters are still getting bigger, although this one is not all that longer. 10,000 WORDS THE DREAM! Just kidding, I don't think I'll ever do something like that.**

* * *

It was supposed to be an easy mission!

Zed wasn't having a good day. He had been woken up by his alarm clock (and that unnerves him), he failed to sneak by when Wukong out of all people or animals was the one on the nightwatch, he had met his nemesis and was not able to slay Shen and now he wasn't able to bring an end to the Enlightened One. His enemies had a spy in his order. They _had_ to have.

To be short, he wasn't in the mood to deal with a certain fox-succubus.

Ahri was very beautiful, and usually he would never reject her. However, now wasn't the time. He had a plan to review, and an assassination project to redo. Ahri must have felt that something was off, as she had followed him into the room.

"What is wrong, dear? Something went wrong with today's plans?"

"Something? There it was not even a single part of the plans that worked! We have a spy in here."

"What? Not even the part where you would finish Shen? How did _everything_ fail?"

"I already said it. We have someone spying on us, and it's someone on a high position. A _traitor_. And one of my best subordinates."

"So what'll we do?"

"As much as I might hate it, I think we'll need to call her."

"Her? You can't mean _her! _Not that one Her. Please, say that you won't call Her back!"

"That is exactly what we need now. Only way to end this war is by taking the Placidium, and there is no way to conquer it without our Empress. It would've been possible had today gone well, but if the snake still has its head, we'll need full power to fight it."

"FUCK! I'M DEAD WHEN SHE GETS HERE!"

"Calm down, she likes you" Zed said. Then he noticed the face Ahri made, and regretted his choice of words. "NOT THAT WAY! Honestly, is there a single moment when you don't think about sex?"

"Not really. Right now, for an example, I am thinking about how I want to spend some… _private time…_ with a certain ninja…"

_'She is charming me. And it's working. You know what? Fuck the war.'_

* * *

Erindor liked to walk in the early morning. The fresh, cold air was something he would always enjoy. He liked it so much that, even in a place such as the Ironspike Mountains, where it would often snow, he would have a walk.

But, in the last visit, he noticed that he wasn't the only one.

He had seen Syndra sneaking out of Xerath's palace very oftenly in the last three times he had been there, and he thought he knew the reason.

So, he got up earlier the morning. It was kind of a rule in the palace that the first one to wake up would get the mail. Well, even though usually Charles had already taken it and separed it. Erindor checked the mailbox, and found three letters. One for him, one for Annie and one for Syndra. After delivering Annie's mail, he went after Syndra. He already had expected her to not be in her bedroom, but he didn't expect her to be sitting on a tree branch and spying a certain bathroom.

"Hi Syndra, how's life been?" As she heard his voice, she jumped slightly and turned to him with a red face.

"I-I-It's been good." She managed to babble. It was clear that whatever she was doing, she was ashamed of it. Or of him knowing it.

"What're you doing?"

"N-N-Nothing… I-I'm not doing anything."

"You don't need to lie to me, you know. Oh, I see. You're watching her bathe, aren't you, Syndra?"

"S-Shut up!"

Erindor then reached for his pocket. From it, he pulled her letter and gave it to her.

"And what is this?"

"A letter for you. From the kind of paper, I'd say it's from Ionia."

"Oh, thank you."

"It's nothing." Erindor then turned to the other side and headed to his room

"Oh, I don't exactly approve your pervert ways, but here's some help." He added.

Something was sent flying in Syndra's direction.

"Wait what?" Syndra nearly got hit on her head, and was about to use her most offensive language setup when she noticed what he had thrown. A binocular.

"Hey, thank you." She whispered.

* * *

Syndra, Annie and Erindor were having breakfast together, amd Syndra remembered of the letter she had received. Seeing that she had nothing else to do, she picked it up and started to read it.

"I can't believe it! How those retards can be able to not do _anything_ when I'm not there!" Syndra said after reading for a while.

"Calm down Syndra. What happened?"

"Another failed mission. Zed was supposed to be a skilled ninja! How can he fail three fucking times in a row? They say they plan an all out attack on the Placidium now, and they'll need me there. I can't get a fucking three-weeks vacation, or else they'll surely be able to undo all the advances in the war I've done. How can Zed and his followers be so inutile?"

"Hey, look at the bright side. If we conquer the Placidium, you'll be officially the Ionian Empress." Erindor said in a mysterious voice. He was trying to tell something, but _what, exactly?_

"Yes, I know. It's just that I wanted to have some more time here with all of you before going back. Seven days was surely not enough."

"Syndra, did you pay attention to what he said?" Annie asked with an amused face.

"He said that if I win, I'll be the Empress and things like that, didn't he?"

"I said that if **we **conquer the placidium, you'll officially be the Empress." Erindor said, over-stressing the '**we**' part.

"We? What do you mean? Are you saying that you're coming with me?"

"Just me. I know you would prefer things in other ways, but I am a worthy mage in the end. I'm quite sure that I'll be help when the battle starts." Erindor said before anyone else had a chance to speak.

"Really? Are you sure? I mean, you had to be in the Shuri-"

"Kassadin has some spare time." Erindor said before Syndra managed to finish her sentence.

"Oh, I see. Why did you go through all the trouble just for me though? Are you perhaps interested in something else?" Syndra asked in a mock-ish knowing tone.

"You know I wouldn't, especially after yesterday."

Syndra blushed and was about to say something, but decided otherwise and got up from her spot at the breakfast table.

"Hey, if you really are coming, I'll set off at 1 p.m. Be ready by then."

"Not even a thank-you, huh? Allright, I'll be waiting here."

Syndra left the room with a smile. It seemed that she at least had some worthy allies, after all.

* * *

Irelia was having a great week. Zed failed to kill Karma, Shen was all right even though he was Zed's first target and she had been right to think that Wukong would pay attention on his shift at the guard if she took his bananas from him. She even allowed herself to be happy and have hope that the war could be won.

It took one letter to ruin her mood.

"Syndra is back." The letter said. It was written in blood, a sign that her contact within the Shadow Order had been discovered. From the calligraphy, the writer could either be Zed or her contact. Either wouldn't lie about this, so she could prepare for the worst. If Syndra was back to Ionia, then the last battle was coming. She had to prepare the guard, make sure that no civilians were on the danger zone, get Karma and the other Elders to safety within the main ranks of their army and contact the Wuju masters and the Kinkou. And she probably only had two days.

"Captain, a flying fortress has been sighted within 60 kilometers from the Placidium. We are afraid that it's _her._"

Scratch that, half a day.

* * *

"Hey, do you think we should do the diplomatic thing before the attack?"

"Of course, Syndra. You know we shouldn't just open fire on them."

"But it would be so cool!"

"And evil. You know that to rule Ionia you have to have some respect from the Ionians, not just fear."

"You are no fun, Erindor."

"Of course I am no fun! This is a war. A war that is already won, but still a war."

"Ok then, I should probably get ready for the boring speeches and blabbering about 'Ionia is ours!' or 'Death to the witch!' I wonder if I will regret not slaying them from here."

"This is part of the reason I'm here, you know. Let me do the talking, just come along me to intimidate them a bit."

"That actually seems to be a good idea, you know. I scare them and you tell them to give up."

"Yeah, something like that. Now come, we must leave soon. The Elders are still in their council by now, but not for long." And with those words, Erindor turned around and started walking away.

"I hate those guys." Syndra said, and started to follow Erindor.

"And this is why you are taking Ionia as yours, Syndra."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Yes. Now come, we don't have much time."

* * *

_'So, protect the civilians. Check. Garrison the troops. Check. Call the Kinkou and the Wuju Masters. Check. Protect the Elders, not done yet.'_

Irelia always found it easier to do things when she kept that kind of list in her mind. Her last task was to get Karma and the other Elders to safety. She was just about to enter the Council room, but she had a feeling that something was off. She had learned to trust her senses in the Noxian invasion, so she decided to sneak in the room.

She nearly had a heart attack after she saw the scene inside it. All the Elders were cowering in fear or hiding somewhere. In the center of the room, all of her fears were on display. The Dark Sovereign was standing in the middle of the room.

_'It is also an opportunity, though. She has to be very cocky if she wants to just invade here by herself.'_

With that thought, Irelia prepared herself. She would have just one chance. If she didn't kill Syndra in one attack, she wouldn't have a second strike.

She unleashed a perfect strike, coming from behind. There was no way Syndra would be able to stop her.

Unfortunately, she didn't need to.

* * *

Hitting a wall is bad. Hitting it hard is even worse. But hitting a wall head first at 20 kilometers per hour is a nearly instant knockout.

Erindor was very skilled in many defensive forms of magic. Summoning an ice wall instantly was quite easy for him. Irelia had no idea of that, though, and discovered that ice beats head in a jo-ken-po match.

"Anyone else feels like doing funny things? Don't worry though, we aren't here to slay you or something like that. We come in peace. I thought the leaves on my weapons were kind of an universal symbol of that."

"Yes, they are, Erindor. But as your weapon is a staff, leaves could be a part of it."

"One point for Syndra, then. At least I have the fact that I saved you in my favor."

"Shut up."

"No, I still need to do the talking."

"Then be quick and stop annoying me."

"What- what happened? Where am I? Wait, Syndra? GET HERE, WHORE, LET ME KILL YOU!"

"Calm down, Irelia. We come in peace." Erindor said. "Or would you prefer to be bound? That would be easy for me."

"And who the fuck are you anyways?"

"The guy doing the talking, and Syndra's savior. Any Shuriman's been here, talking about a weird guy known as Wanderer?"

One of the elders, probably the most courageous or the most foolish, got out from the cover enough for Erindor to see him nodding. _'Apparently saying all that shit about coming in peace was enough to give the elders a slight hint of confidence.'_, Erindor thought.

"Well, that guy is me. I came here to help my friend and ally Syndra. We came in peace, bu…"

"Fuck off! If you are with that whore, you're not any better than her!" Irelia said. It was quite obvious that she hated Syndra badly.

"Well, at least I don't go around headbutting walls." Erindor's comment earned a lot of laughter from Syndra and even a few of the elders had trouble to not laugh.

"He owned you, Irelia." Syndra said between her laughs.

"Well, I'll continue from where I was before I got interrupted. We are here in peace, but next time, we might not be. It is your choice. You can prevent the war and the deaths, or you can force us to attack the Placidium. We give you fifteen minutes to decide, and if you choose the worst option, fifteen minutes to get ready."

"And you think you'll be able to just stay here for fifteen minutes? A quarter of the Ionian army is inside this building. You won't have more than five minutes before they arrive and end your wicked lives."

"You really believe some lowly rookies will defeat me? Don't you remember what happened to your assassination plan?"

"Lowly rookies? The masters of Wuju and the Kinkou are here! You don't stand a chance."

"Actually, they don't stand a chance. I know my share of Chronomancy, and I'll be sure that time will not pass out there."

"What the actual fuck? How can you know so much in magic? I mean, Cryomancy, Chronomancy, Teleportation, Healing, Mind Control. What's next, Necromancy? Pyromancy? Spectromancy? Light magic?"

"Actually, I am a master of all of those. And a few more, too, Syndra."

"Okay, forget I asked."

"So, we give you a chance and fifteen minutes. We'll let you talk and make your decision. If anyone attacks us, that person won't see tomorrow."

* * *

Xerath was incredibly sensible to ripples in the arcanes planes of Runeterra. So, whenever a mage casted a spell, he could sense it. The stronger the mage, the stronger the ripple. But the ripples were weaker if the mage was very far. From the Ironspike mountains, he could sense someone as strong as Syndra until she was as far as Demacia.

So, when he felt an extremely strong ripple coming from Ionia, he knew something was wrong. _Very_ wrong.

From the size of the magical energy he could sense, the mage was easily ten times stronger that he and Syndra toghether.

And it couldn't be Annie, as she was just in front of him.

"Are you feeling this too, Annie?"

"Yes, Xerath. Someone stronger than me. At least twice of all I could use revealed in one medium level time-stop spell. There is no way anything human, magical, Voidborn, Iceborn or ancestral that we know can have such power. If something is that strong and is in Ionia, I fear for Syndra."

"And I fear for Erindor too. And for all of us, should it come to that point. Let us hope that it is not our enemy."

"We'd better get ready, though. Do you remember that enchantment?"

"The eternal binding? It might not work against such enemy. It is way too strong for that, Annie."

"But if we two keep pouring our power in a special rune, we will be able to."

"Rune magic? Have you forgotten the Runic Wars?"

"No, or else I wouldn't remember we could do that. We both know that we'll need it in case whatever is in Ionia attacks us, Xerath."

"Well then, if you really think that it's needed, let us get ready. It isn't easy to prepare such a rune."

* * *

Usually people didn't just faint. This was a fact known to every single human in Valoran. So when half of the Elders, Syndra and Karma suddenly fainted, Irelia knew something was wrong. And it could be a doing from only one person. That cloaked man.

"Bastard! You'll pay for that!" Irelia said while preparing to strike.

"Meh, my bad. Too much mana. I'm sorry, Syndra."

"Huh? Where am I? What- What happened? Wait, why is Irelia here? Oh fuck, now I remember. How did I pass out?" Sydra asked.

"Argh... It wasn't only you. And I already had a headache." Karma said.

"Sorry for that, it was my fault. It's kind of hard to control mana when you have as much as I have. I kind of let a bit more than what I should have had flow. Next time I should use the staff."

"Yeah, not like you released enough mana to kill someone just from the magical pressure it applied." Karma retorted.

"Hey, if you were able to do that, how much mana do you actually have?" Syndra asked, showing her curious side.

"Probably enough to destroy Ionia whole with a fireball. A really big fireball."

"Heh, that's kind of dumb. I mean, my power is also huge, but how can you even _control_ all that magic?" Syndra kept letting her curiosity speak.

"And you are on Syndra's side? This is already lost." Karma said. Usually she was always positive, but there are times when one must recognise defeat.

"Just protecting her. Not actually going to fight. Direct order from our leader."

"What? When did you talk to Xerath?"

"Three hours ago, while you were chilling in your room."

"Oh, that actually makes sense." Syndra said

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be here to ask us to surrender?" One of the Elders asked.

"Oh, right. You have fifteen minutes to decide."

"Just like that?" Karma asked.

"After fiftenn minutes, if you don't answer us, I'll let Sydra have a bit of 'fun'. She's a sadist, guys, so be afraid."

"What? From where did you get that?" Syndra asked, obviously angered by how Erindor had classified her.

"Intimidation factor, Syndra. They don't know if it was a lie."

* * *

**AN: Next chapter will be about Ionia, huge dance parties and sand! I know veigar hasn't really been in the story, but don't worry, he isn't dead. Just traveling around.**

**As always, review if you want to, follow if you like this story and feel free to hate me for all my life. No, scratch the last one.**

**Bai.**

**I'm going back to my top lane. First time I'm not heartbroken while doing that since i started this fanfic. You guys are amazing!**


	6. Chapter 6: Sacrifices

Chapter 6: Sacrifices

* * *

**AN: So, my character is so overpowered it might seem even dumb for now, but if I keep things going as I plan now, it'll fit nicely with the rest of the story later. Anyways, chapter 6 is here. ** **Shorter than the previous, but lon enough. Enjoy ****it! (Had to reupload, so many spelling mistakes XD)**

* * *

Hell on Earth.

That was the only way to describe the scene unfolding before her eyes.

Ionian killing Ionian. Brothers waging war one against another. Long term friends on opposite sides of a battlefield. Pure hatred between people that before would have risked their lifes to save one another.

How could it have come to this point? How?

It was a single mistake. An Elder limiting the power of a prodigy. The prodigy accidentaly killing the Elder when she discovered the truth and confronted him. The other Elders then casting out that magical prodigy, considering her an abomination. The hatred that the prodigy had kept in store, only increased by time. A warning ignored.

Karma would prefer ten thousand times Ionia to be ruled by the Sovereign to the scene she saw unfolding.

"Only you can stop this." A voice said inside her head.

"Do you want the end of Ionia?" The voice asked.

"No. No. No! I can't allow this! It can't happen!"

"You know what you must do. It's too late to recover things completely, but you can prevent war. You must convince the other elders.

* * *

It was happening.

Karma had failed.

The years had distorted the Elders' vision. To them Syndra was but an abomination.

It didn't help the fact that Zed was her ally, or that she had already spilled blood on the war. Karma knew the truth, and so did a few other Elders, but they were afraid. Afraid of being reproved by the others. Afraid of being hated for surrendering. Afraid of helping a tyrant to ascend. Afraid of stop lying.

They chose war, and war will happen.

So many lives will be thrown away, and why?

The fallen of the winning side would be turned heroes, but the ones in the losing side would be forgotten, buried under the dirt left by the armies. No matter who won, both sides would lose. There was no hope of stopping it. Ionia will pay for the stubborness of its leaders.

How many years will it take to the blood-stained ground accept life again? The Coeur Valley was still a desert after Noxus attacked there. The Crimson Rock, a place where many battles had happened in a distant past, still had not a single flower growing on it. Death left an ever-lasting marks to battlefields. Ionia will be ruined by battles if things keep going in that way.

But how to stop them?

Karma hated the option she had chosen, but she knew that it was the only way. Otherwise, Ionia would burn.

* * *

"So what do we have here? Oh, Karma? Are you mad enough to even think you can end this alone?"

Syndra. Ther sovereign. Ionia's next ruler. A woman that rightfully hated her.

"No, I can end this here. I _will_ end this now. I can't let even a single drop of Ionian blood to fall for this stupid war."

"Oh, so you think you can end me here and now? Come at me, then. Show what you can do. I know you can't defeat me, and so does you."

"Who said about defeat?" Karma asked. Immediately she cast a spell. One that was able to get Syndra by surprise. Syndra didn't expect for Karma to cast a spell that would keep her still for a few seconds, on the price of Syndra becoming immune to everything.

Karma approached the still Syndra slowly. She had time.

As soon as Karma was in front of the other woman, she removed her necklace.

She started to put the necklace around Syndra's neck, tying it slowly, while chanting a song from the oldest legends. Syndra's eyes went wide. She knew what Karma was doing. She couldn't believe, not even _comprehend_ why Karma was doing that.

"Have you gone mad? Do you even have an idea of what are you doing?"

"Yes, I am saving Ionia. It's a price I've got to pay. That we need to pay. A price that Ionia needs to pay."

"You know what will happen."

"Yes, Syndra. It's needed. It is the truth. We all made several mistakes in past. I hope this one wiil not be so bad."

Then a blinding yellow light covered Syndra. The light just got stronger and stronger, until it was impossible to look at it. It was no exaggeration to say that in that afternoon, for five minutes, a second sun shone on Ionia.

When the light faded, Karma was nowhere to be seen. The only thing to be seen where the light had been shining was Syndra, covered in a golden armor, with tears falling from her eyes.

* * *

Irelia couldn't believe her eyes.

She was seeing it, but she had no way she could believe in what she saw. She had no way of believeing it.

There was no way Karma had betrayed them. But what else could the light she saw mean?

Irelia knew what it meant. A ruler was chosen by the leader of the Elder council, which was Karma. The light was coming from somewhere she couldn't believe, though. It came straight from Syndra's palace. It could mean only one thing. Still, it was not easy for Irelia to believe that Karma, who had been a great friend for so long, would betray her that way. Ionia had been betrayed by its most notorious leader.

There was no way to resist to Syndra now. Only one person could try to argue against the choice Karma had made. The Captain of the Guard.

But Irelia refusing Karma's choice would mean a one-on-one battle, and that was not what she wanted.

There was a slight hope, however.

Assassination. If the newly-promoted Ruler of Ionia was slain, it would be the end. If Syndra had to be protected, it would mean weakness, which could lead to the end of her rule. Someone supposed to rule Ionia had to be able to take care of itself. If Irelia failed on this, all hope was lost for her country.

* * *

Syndra's new apparel was nothing short of gorgeous. It accented Syndra's curve, and showed how well Sydra went with light colors. In her new armor, she was one of the most beautiful woman Erindor had ever seen. His gaze made that clear to everyone.

This didn't mean he was in love with her, though. He was just enjoying the view. Not like Syndra had ever done that, you know, with that spying thing back at Xerath's.

This wasn't enough of a reason to calm Syndra down. She was nearly mind-broken by the most recent events, and she didn't need a pervert staring her ass while she took some time off to think.

"Hey, stop staring!"

"Calm down, Syndra. Did anyone ever tell you you are gorgeous?"

From Syndra's flustered reaction, he concluded that no one ever had.

"Hey, don't worry, I'm not actually hitting on you. that was just a statement. I know who you love. And with your current looks, I think it will be easier for her to notice you. You kind of stand out with your current apparel."

"Shut up!"

"Hey, stay calm! I only wanted to ask what happened."

A few minutes of awkward silence followed. Syndra was the one to break it.

"Karma.. She... Well, she just sacrificed herself to turn me in the rightful ruler of Ionia."

"What? That is unexpected. Why did she do this?"

"I have no idea! I dont know. How am i supposed to know? HOW?" Syndra then noticed she was shouting, all the while sobbing and crying. "Just leave me alone. I... I need to think. Karma had me unprepared for this."

"Well then. I'll be in the kitchens if you need me."

After that statement, Erindor left the room. Syndra decide to try to understand why Karma did this through meditation.

However, something approached through the darkness. Syndra didn't notice it while it was creeping closer.

Then, it leaped in her direction.

* * *

"Heck, a second sun? What else is going to happrn in Ionia today? A horde of dragons attacking?"

"Don't call it, Xerath." Annie said.

"Oh, a certain mage has superstitions?"

'Nah, it just has learned to trust its senses."

"..."

* * *

Kassadin was having trouble with this particular voidborn. It was being very hard to get over its defense.

Then a second sun rose over where Ionia was supposed to be.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" He and the voidborn shouted in unison.

Kassadin then noticed how to get over the Voidborn's defenses. He could always just have stabbed its face.

* * *

Syndra felt someone coming from behind.

She barely had time to dodge from Irelia's Blade Surge. She tried to summon a dark sphere, but she couldn't use all that time, Irelia was too close.

Syndra was no master of martial arts, but she knew some tricks. Irelia had no idea of this, though, and was being way too reckless.

A lucky blow from Syndra was able to momentaneously stun Irelia, and then Syndra had just enough time to cast a force pulse and throw Irelia away. She then used her magic to bind Irelia, and called for Erindor.

"Hey Syndra, what is it?" He then saw Irelia laying on the floor. "Oh, what do you want me to do to her.?"

"Put her in my dungeons. I already have an idea of what I'll do to her."

* * *

Kassadin had been called to Xerath's that night. They had special plans for the night. All of Trigum had been called, and some of the inhabitants from its vicinities were called too. But only he and Xerath knew what would happen that night.

The greatest dance party Valoran had ever seen would be hosted by Xerath that evening. And for all night, too.

Kassadin had been called because he was the best DJ on all Valoran since Sona had retired from electronic music. Xerath wanted only the best, and everyone knew Kass was the best.

So, he had called his Noxian helper. Someone who was at the same time bodyguard, stage dancer and a singer if one was needed.

Yes, he had called Cassiopeia.

He had one problem with that, though. Cassiopeia woul constantly try to seduce him or something like that. And she was starting to cause a weird reaction inside his pants. After all, her breasts were nothing short of perfect.

_"Stop thinking about her breasts. Stop thinking about her breasts. Stop thinking about her breasts."_ Kassadin thought.

As unprobable as it may sound, that was working. Kassadin had been able to hold himself so far.

They had only fifteen minutes until the party would start. It couldn't be that hard to resist that longer, could it?

* * *

**AN: So, Irelia has been made prisioner? What will happen to her? Can Cassiopeia make Kassadin rock-hard with one glance? Will Kassadin control himself? How hard will Xerath party? All of this and more will ber answered next chapter!**

**Goodbye until then, folks!**

**Yeah, I suck at this. XD **

**Anyways, hope you liked this chapter. See you next one.**


	7. Chapter 7: Blood on Stones

Chapter Seven: Blood on Stones.

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**AN: First of all, I'm really sorry I didn't update for more than a week. I can't promise about update schedules, but I'll try to update at least weekly. This fanfic isn't dead, and I won't let it die.**

**So, I got my first mile-long negative feedback review, and that's actually a good thing. I like every single review I get, except for mindless rage, which hasn't happened yet. So, DEFCON 1? I guess this means that I haven't fucked up everything yet, and there are ways to make this fanfic still be good. I knew it wasn't the best thing to name a character named after me, especially when it's going to be over-powered. And that schoolboy style comeback in chapter five was really bad. Yeah, lack of creativity gets you to bad places '-'. I tried to fix that one, but the new one is still somewhat bad.**

**I know that Karma instantly surrendering is kind of OOC, but I did that because I take Karma as someone who has Ionia and the Ionian people as her top priority. So, if she is sure that there is no other way, I think she'd rather give up to make her people suffer. Also, in this fanfiction, I have Syndra as someone who is not wholly evil, but rather just disagrees with the way Ionian government works, and more specifically, with who is part of Ionian government. Someone who hates the Elders, but not the Ionian. Karma, knowing that, also knows that Syndra would not be a bad ruler to Ionia.**

**The power and influence my OC has will have a _very_ important reason and a good explanation later on. I hope that, until that point, you will still be reading to try to understand why I created such a powerful OC. His personality might be weird, not particularly likeable and things like that, but it is a part of the character I had in mind. Sometimes, being powerful also makes you a jerk.**

**About the dialogues, I am aware that it is the worse part of my writing, but I am trying to improve it. Thank you for warning me of what I could have done better and of what I did wrong. So, overall, thank you, Shaw Fujikawa.**

**I hope all of you keep reading this story and, if you feel like, give me feedback. Tell me what you think in reviews, be it that my story is either good or bad, and tell me why you think so. All I want is to write a story that pleases you all, if that's possible.**

* * *

She could see her. Irelia knew she had success. The Dark Sovereign was lying on the ground, with her body and symbolical ruler armor torn to pieces by the sharp blades Irelia used. There was no way a human could survive the blows she had landed on Syndra.

All in all, Irelia's job had been done to near perfection.

Why not to perfection, you might ask? Well, it was not a perfect job because Irelia had to wake up someday.

* * *

Irelia's POV

"Get up", someone said. I tried to raise my head, but it was hurting way too much. Good way to start a day, having a headache.

Then I thought: 'Wait a second. Did someone tell me to wake up?'

"It's an order. Get up now."

After hearing those word, my eyes shot open. I am greeted by something I wished I would never see again.

The Dark Sovereign was right in front of me. And my hands seem to be tied or chained. I can't really feel those, it's like I slept on them, and I don't dare to look at them to know what exactly is tying them together behind my back. What matters is that I can't attack her nor defend myself. It's more than obvious now that what I was seeing moments ago were dreams. Dreams of a foolish girl, of someone who has failed.

She starts talking. Her words are far from what I had expected though.

"Irelia, I know you hate me. And I know that this is hard to you, but I need your help. And I will get your help, no matter the cost. You see, I need someone to support me, or else surely the people will rise against me. I need someone from the old government to be aside me. I need someone to try to keep people calm. As soon as the people understand that my rule is not harmful to them, and this should take just a few years, you'll be free to go wherever you want and to do whatever you want. What do you say about this?

I look at her with the most serious face I can make.

"Really", I started," You want _me_ of all people to _help you_ after all you've done? You destroyed villages, slaughtered countless of my people and you're asking me for _help_?"

"You didn't understand me. I'm not asking. Think about how Karma's sacrifice will be useless if the war just is restarted right after its end? And, no matter what you do, you will have to help me." she said. I won't accept that, though. She won't be able to make me obey her.

"Hah, and how do you think you will make me obey you, witch?"

"It's quite simple, actually," she answers. "You wouldn't believe how torture can work wonders before seeing it on action."

I barely had the time to think about how fucked I was before something start pressuring the back of my head. That pressure then quickly turned into an unbearable pain. I must have had screamed, as, as soon as the pain stopped, she said with the cruelest grin I have ever seen: "Oh, that hard to bear it already? But I am just starting!"

Then my brain went blank thanks to the pain.

* * *

It was late in the night. Three hours had passed since Xerath's party had started, and it was going perfectly well until this point. No problems with people starting drunken brawls, not a single case of any kind of crime, not any suspicious guests. Well, except by two robed people sitting in a table far from the stage, but no one was paying any mind to them, as they were only staying quiet in the corner of the room. However, had someone crept close enough to them without being noticed, they would have heard a very interesting conversation.

"So, what is your plan this night? Cause some ruckus by getting some high guys brawling? Or maybe put something in the drinks, so that the guests have some unconfortable times in the bathroom? Or even make them sleep with that special recipe we got from the Mad Chemist?"

From both her voice and her covered form, one could guess that whoever this person was, she was a woman. However, from her voice someone could also get that this woman had always been someone that had to be strong. Her voice seemed to be enough to make one not want to meet her somewhere like the battlefield, especially if she was between its enemies.

The deeper voice that answered her obviously belonged to a male, although one would not be sure if this being was human or not, as his vice carried power behind it. It was the kind of voice that could make nearly everyone obey just from hearing it, and still it didn't make the owner of the voice seem like a tyrant. It said:

"No, none of that. We came here to do something a bit more… Straightfoward, that's the word."

"And what would that be?" The female asked, seemingly slightly taken aback by the seriousness of her partner.

"Xerath has been raising an army. We need to stop him now, or it'll be too late." The male answered. The way he pronounced Xerath made clear that he had a deep hatred for the Magus ascendant.

"And how will we stop his army by going to his party?"

"We won't stop his army, but we will cause enough trouble to make him attack us immediately. But, right now, his strength is not enough to beat us, and he'll just fall before our walls."

"So, you've been doing smart plans under cover and only told me about them now? Worst ancestor ever."

They shared a laugh after that comment, and then the man said:

"Sivir, we are acting soon. Get ready to strike in a few moments. I'll keep Xerath and Kassadin back while you wreck this party. Destroy all you think is useful to them, kill a few of the people here, things like that. I have your back."

"Huh, you not actually attacking and just protecting me? Are you trying to remember the good old days in the League?" The woman said.

"It was a good strategy, and it works", said the man. "There is no relationship to the way battles in the League used to work."

"If you say so. Well, I am ready. We strike whenever you want."

"I will be attracting the attention from Xerath. As soon as he's gone, you are free to do whatever you want in here."

After saying that, the man got up and started walking towards a desert alley. He clearly got the attention from both the host of the party and the DJ, as they soon followed him. It was time for Sivir to do her job.

In that moment, Sivir saw something she hadn't expected. When DJ Kassadin had left the stage someone had to take his place and play the music for the party, and the person that took Kassadin's place was Cassiopeia. That noxian, the only person that Sivir had bothered to hate.

'It isn't everyday that I can mix both pleasure and business,' Sivir thought, 'but she means trouble. After all, she was a champion back when the League existed. I'll have to be extra careful this time. I don't want to die poisoned today.'

With that thought, Sivir prepared herself. She took her boomerang blade, got in position and threw the unusual weapon. She had gotten Cassiopeia by surprise and one hit had been enough. Sivir had been very accurate and now Cassiopeia had been knocked out, clearly unable to fight.

Sivir then proceeded to do all that she needed. Seventy-three mages from Trigum were killed that night, along one hundred-seventy normal people from Tringum, six noxian warriors that had been invited and one demacian that was in exile and had been accepted in Steel Peak. Also, the square of Steel Peak where the party was happening was completely destroyed, leaving just the floor with no damage. Overall, that attack was something Xerath would certainly not be able to ignore. Xerath would have to march with his armies as an answer.

"Now for the getaway, I need to find the old man. If I remember well, he went this way."

After saying that, the woman started to head towards the alley her partner had gone to. Unfortunately, she didn't look behind herself.

* * *

_Azir's POV._

The traitor asks me: "What are you doing here?"

I do not answer. A bit of resistance will anger him more, and when angered, he is easier to fool.

Then the Voidwalker comes together, and that one is the one that I am worried about. I have to shut him down before he can hit me, he is way too dangerous. It was a mistake to let him be just because he was fighting the Void. I should have guessed he was working with Xerath.

The Magus asks me again about what I am doing in his kingdom. I finally decide to answer him, or else Sivir will not have enough time.

"I am here to enjoy your little party, Magus traitor. There are quite a few interesting aspects in you throwing a dance party. It's something I would not have expected. Just like I hadn't expected you to backstab me. However, I am the one that should be asking you questions. For what reason are you raising an army and mobilizing soldiers to the border between our countries? That shall be considered an offense by us, if you keep it."

Now's the time. I have to sneak a spell by right now, one to hide all sounds coming from the square. I hope they will not notice it immediately.

The Magus, who apparently did not feel the spell I just casted, answers me by saying that he knew I was lying and that there it was another reason, one that I was not telling. I feel the screams hitting my spell, and I also see an opening in Kassadin's defensive stance. It is time for me to strike, so that they will be occupied for some time.

I raise some soldiers and take Kassadin by surprise. He takes a direct hit to his chest. I know that it will not kill him, but it should be enough to disable him for now while I deal with Xerath.

I turn around to see a ball of pure arcane energy coming towards my face. I barely dodge it, feeling from afar its stunning power. I quickly order my soldiers to reposition, one of them hittin the stone that composes Xerath's sarcophagus. He does not even feel the hit, ignoring it completely. He then calls a blast of energy from the skies. I am able to dodge the worst, but it still hits me and the energy from it slows me down. That makes for me impossible to dodge the Arcanopulse he is charging. I still have a few tricks, though. He can't release that spell without charging it, and he isn't paying attention to my soldiers. I have to use that technique I was saving to escape. The shifting sands will take him unprepared right now.

Empowering myself with magic, I dash towards Xerath, knocking him out of balance by slamming at him. My armor takes the brunt of the collision, and I am able to run from where I am. My anti-sound spell stops, but it already did its job. Sivir must have finished, as no sounds are coming from the square. It's time to flee.

In that moment, I hear it. We three all hear it. A scream like none I have ever heard. One that chilled my blood. A scream of pure pain and terror. Sivir, what has happened to you?

I rush to the square, ignoring everything. I don't care about what might happen, or if Xerath or Kassadin are chasing me. Family comes first.

As I arrive at the site of the party, I see Sivir's job. She let nothing the way it was before, destroying most of the stage and of the decorations Xerath had set up for his festival. Many bodies are lying on the ground, sliced by Sivir's blade. Sivir, however, is not between any of those.

I let my eyes wander around the ruins of the party. I see how Sivir blew up the kitchens that were being used to prepare the food, how she destroyed the drinks stand, but I do not find her anywhere. I then look towards all the possible exits, trying to see where she could have gone.

I find a blood trail leading towards the shortest path to the exit of this city. I can deduce that it is Sivir's blood, a perk from the powers I earned after my ascension.

I follow the path, seeing that Sivir's injuries are not bleeding much. This gives me hope that she is not heavily injured. It was certainly a painful wound, though, or else she wouldn't have had screamed like that.

I soon find her, and my hope turns into despair. She is not only badly wounded, but also has Cassiopeia attacking her. She was certainly poisoned, and I am now sure I have little time. I have to act now, or she is as good as dead.

* * *

_The next day._

It was clear that the Magus ascendant was having troubles to keep his calm. Last night was a disaster, an offending move that couldn't and wouldn't be ignored. Azir had attacked the capital of his kingdom. He had to retaliate. So many were killed by Sivir, and for what reason? Xerath knew the truth: Azir wanted him to attack while he hadn't enough power to win a battle.

Xerath had allies, though. Way more allies than Azir believed. It was a matter of time, rallying his allies under his flag to fight against one foe. He knew that Ionia couldn't be called to fight yet, as Syndra still had to start her rule, although Ionia theorically was hers already, from what Erindor had said. He could call Erindor back, though. Syndra wouldn't disagree to let him come back. He could call Noxus, and Noxus surely would come. No true noxian wanted to be ruled by Shurima, and they know that alone, they probably can't defeat Azir now. Xerath, on top of that, still had an ace up his sleeve.

It was time to start the preparations. Soon, they will march to Shurima. And, on the scorching sands of his homeland, either him or Azir will fall.

* * *

**AN: So Xerath finally is serious and angered by something? O_O**

**Azir, you fucked up.**

**So, as I probably have already said, feel free to leave a review with what you think about my fanfiction. I take all advice and suggestions in the reviews seriously, and I'll do my best to improve if I am doing things wrong. Anyways, that's about it, I'm sorry for taking this long to update, but I don't think I'll update as often as I used to before this point. Also, if you think you should talk more with me, you can PM me. Well, thats it. Hope all of you liked this chapter. I'm going bock to my top lane now. :p**


	8. Chapter 8: The Invasion

Chapter Eight:

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**AN: I'm sorry. I blame school exams and my lazy ass for not having uploaded anything in two weeks. I hope you don't hate me for that. Have fun reading chapter eight, and have hope that I won't be as lazy as I have been.**

* * *

"So, when will the noxian army be ready?" - The voice asked through their mental link.

"Hey, calm down, Xerath. We can't just start marching in one day. We need at least two to be ready to depart."

"Then make that one, Annie. We need to strike very soon. Tomorrow, at midday, start marching. If we let them get their defenses ready we will lose nearly all battles. Shurima is not a hard country to defend."

"Understood. We will set off tomorrow", said the redhead. "Where should we head to?"

Xerath quickly answered:

"To Steel Peak."

"Steel Peak? Isn't that kind of out of the way?"

"Annie, there is a good reason to call you back here. Also, the work on the sealing rune is complete."

"You know, I would appreciate if you told me this reason. Or does the firefly need to keep its secrets?"

Xerath, although obviously unnerved by it, ignored the nickname and said:

"Well then, Annie. We aren't actually marching all the way to Shurima. It would take too much time. Time we can't spare."

"Wait a second. Are you saying that you'll teleport all the army from Trigum to Shurima?"

"No, Annie. I couldn't possibly achieve such a feat. But someone that is on our side can. Erindor seems to be quite powerful. Actually, it seems that the power surge in Ionia was caused by him. He used a spell and released more mana than he wanted to. And he said that he could do that. It seems that he is quite fond of teleportation magic."

"Still, Azir will certainly feel the spell. Isn't that a problem, letting him know from where we'll strike?"

"Azir probably won't be in Shurima. He has a serious problem to deal with."

That aroused Annie's curiosity more than everything else in the conversation, which was kind of a surprise, considering that she had just been told that a friend of her was somewhat of a magical aberration. Wanting to go deeper in that detail, she asked:

"A serious problem? What in Runeterra could force Azir to stay out of Shurima? And how do you know that?"

Xerath, who at first was taken aback by Annie's uncharacteristical curiosity, quickly recomposed himself and started explaining:

"Well, he and Sivir attacked us two nights ago, and that was something I already told you. So, in that damned night, Azir got my and Kassadin's attention. We went after him as he headed into an alley. There, we asked him about his presence. Right there, he must have had slipped a spell past us so that we couldn't hear what was happening in the town square. When the spell ended, we heard a scream coming from the square. From the voice, the screamer was Sivir.

Azir started running, and we had a hard time to follow him, as he had just taken us by surprise with a few well-placed blows. When we arrived to the square, we barely saw him running towards one of the main streets of the town. We followed after him, but not quickly enough to get any closer. His despair seemed to be fuelling him to a pace to which we couldn't keep up with. He then suddenly made a turn for the left. I knew he had probably made a mistake, as he was going straight to a dead end. However, the scene unfolding in that alley was enough to petrify us both. Sivir had been caught by Cassiopeia. Cassio, although severely injured, was still constricting Sivir. It was certain that Sivir had been poisoned. Azir ran up to the two, separating them, grabbing Sivir and dashing right through a wooden wall. We couldn't follow him, as Cassiopeia was left bleeding on the ground. We carried her to the closest building, where we did some first aids to her, trying to stop the bleeding. We then carried her to my personal infirmary, where she has been since then."

Annie, who at the start of the narration had been quite excited and curious, had progressively paled through the story, feeling something eerie about it. When Cassiopeia was first mentioned, her faced turned in one of horror, like she felt something terrible on the verge of happening. She then said:

"It can't be. No, it can't be. Xerath, please tell me you are lying about Cassiopeia. Please."

"No, Annie. I told you exactly what happened. How bad can that be? I mean, Cassiopeia is a nice person, but she isn't even in risk of dying. The bad part's already over."

Annie seemed to calm down a bit, but not much. She then told Xerath through their mental link:

"Cassiopeia isn't the problem. She's actually the nicest person in her family, but her death wouldn't be that much of a pain for me. The problem is her family. If anything happened to Cassiopeia and she was gone, I would have my head hanging on a wall. I shouldn't have had tried to convince Katarina to let her go. Well, past is past, let's hope that she gets better soon enough, and let's also never tell Katarina what happened. Nor Talon, he's as dangerous as his sisters."

"Whoa, that afraid of one single assassin? I should learn some tricks from her. After all, sometimes having that kind of influence over your allies can be useful."

"Don't even think about that, Xerath. You would be dead before you could even say 'Shit'."

"Heh, if you say so…" Xerath said. "No more bickering though. You have an army to assemble and lead, and I have a tea that I need to drink. We can't keep wasting this valuable time. Goodbye, Annie."

"Bye, firefly"

"Forget that freaking nickname. You're starting to annoy me."

Annie said nothing.

* * *

She had long lost the count of days that had passed. She had been through unbearable pain in the past few. The poison had been constantly removing the life from her blood. She felt weaker than she ever had, as if something had drained all of her willpower and all of her strength, thrown that away and left a carcass to die a horrible death. She didn't know if she was awake or dreaming. She wasn't seeing anything understainable. Dots of randomly colored lights were dancing around on her field of view, effectively blinding her. All sounds she heard came distorted in a way to be impossible to understand. She couldn't smell anything. The only thing she was sure about was that she was thirsty.

She thought she heard a voice she knew from somewhere saying something close to "Here you go".

Something touched her dry lips. Something hard and cold. Her mouth was forced open and something entered it. Soon enough she was feeling her thirst slowly fade away, as something went down her throat. Suddenly she was feeling way better than before, as if all she needed to recover was that tiny bit of liquid.

Her eyes, previously blinded by any light, started adjusting to the illumination of the room where she was. The first thing she recognized was Azir. She opened her mouth to speak, but Azir interrupted her.

"Don't worry, Sivir, you're going to be okay. The poison was stopped before you were gone."

Sivir knew the poison had somehow been stopped, but she felt light-headed. Very light-headed. Like her mind was not exactly inside her body, having been ripped out from it and tossed around until exhaustion. A collateral damage from her cure or an effect from the poison, probably. She could see that Azir was still talking, but she was tired. She could barely stay awake. Sleep was calling her. She needed to rest.

* * *

Ionia is a good place, as Erindor had discovered during his stay. If he had to choose somewhere in Valoran to live, he would doubtlessly choose Ionia. However, he hadn't the chance to choose, duty called him somewhere else. Two days were needed to craft this amulet. Two long and boring days in a forge working its metal and then enchanting it. Hah, who said having a huge mana pool is good? Without this thing and with all his mana, casting a spell as big as that mass teleportation Xerath asked for would be a complete failure. Probably, he would open some kind of magical rift that would be a permanent portal between the two places and also kill everyone within a 50-kilometers range of any side of the portal. Something he needed to avoid.

A little known fact is that crafting sealing amulets was something boring. However, now he was ready, and soon Valoran would see the greatest spell ever casted on its surface. Only the fun part was left to do. Erindor always loved drawing, and magical circles were always interesting for him. He never did a single mistake in this part. That wasn't changing soon.

* * *

The second time.

Some say the third time's the charm, and Azir hoped it wouldn't come.

Sivir could have died twice. Twice he had taken her to the Oasis of the Dawn, twice she had been taken back from Death's grasp. The third time would be different, and that was something to avoid. Death does not take kindly to being separated from its victims, and three times would be an offending move never done before.

There is no way Azir can allow Sivir to be endangered again. He'd rather have his empire fall to let Sivir die, and that could soon be a choice he would be forced to make.

He hoped that Mogron Pass could be hold by itself for some time, as, although he was inside Shurima, maybe getting to the battlefield would take too long. His incursion could have gone better.

The good part is that Xerath probably can't attack by himself right now and conquer anything inside Shurima, and he forced Xerath to move before he had been ready.

The sooner Trigum falls, the better it is for him. The better it is for Shurima.

The better it is for Sivir.

* * *

It was not his first time in an army, but he always recognized he wasn't fit for military service. He never liked the way of life a soldier has to take, he never liked the battle fury some enjoyed so much, he never liked using swords, axes and spears. Magic could both be more subtle and more exaggerated, more powerful, faster. Magic was always a better option, at least by his standarts. However, even the strongest mage to ever have had existed could be overwhelmed by huge numbers, and that was the only advantage armies had. One advantage that wasn't really pleasant, as he knew from having to be in the middle of a colossal mass of men.

Although it wasn't his first time in an army, it was the first time he was between a noxian army, and that was a special case. Noxus always had pride of its military prowess, but an army like this was something unexpected, to say the least. Both men and women side to side, preparing for an invasion while having quiet conversations was something Erindor never had imagined possible. The field where he stood was covered by soldiers, and still it was somehow silent, at least comparing with other armies he had seen. The organization of the preparations was perfect, every man or woman being ready for their transport. Now it was time for his job. It was time for the army to go.

The voice of a commander spoke up from somewhere, ordering the soldiers to get ready and head to the center of the ring Erindor had drawn. Many started to head there, and, following their commander's orders, got combat-ready, with their weapons unsheathed and their shields raised. They probably were thinking this was some kind of last-minute training. He had to warn them what was about to happen.

Using a spell to amplify his voice, Erindor let a warning out:

"Soldiers, get ready to depart. This will let you confused at first, but soon we will be there. When I tell you to close your eyes, do that and think that you're in Shurima already. You'll start to feel like the weather got warmer, and then we will be there. Be ready to strike as soon asI tell you to open your eyes."

Surprisingly, the noxians seemed to understand. '_I guess the proper training allow you to not be shocked by surprises like this one_', thought Erindor.

He then ordered the soldiers to close their eyes. If any of the soldiers hadn't done so, it would have seen something interesting.

The world around them was turning, being distorted by the incredible amount of mana released. Suddenly, all this mana started converging to the center of the circle, making a liquid originated from the mana flow towards the center of the ring. Then the world around then faded away, slowly turning into a desert. A few seconds later, the distortion caused by the mana disappeared, being substituted by one command:

"Open your eyes. We are in Shurima."

* * *

Azir felt the magic. Azir felt it. A shocking amount of mana released caused the very earth to quake, making it hard to stand still. It was enough mana to make even non-mages feel its effects. If he had time to stop and think about it, he'd be able to relate to that incident in Ionia, the second sun and the huge mana burst, but he had something more important to do.

His empire was being attacked. It will not be allowed to just fall.

No matter what, Shurima will survive.

* * *

**AN: I know, the chapter is short for all the time I made you wait. My bad, I'm a lazy ass. I hope you still like the story. Feel free to review and tell me what you think. Tell me if I write well, if I am the worst writer you've ever seen or things like that. I like criticism as long as it isn't just mindless hate.**


	9. Chapter 9: The True Invasion

Chapter Nine: The True Invasion

* * *

**AN: After two whole weeks, i present you Chapter Nine. This one is somewhat longer than the other chapters, but I don't think it's long enough to make up for all the time I made you all wait. I hope you don't hate me for being a lazy ass.**

**Also, I noticed a guest has been constantly reviewing. Why don't you, you know, create a fanfic account so it's easier for me to talk with you?**

**Just a random detail, other day I was playing Town of Salem and, for whatever reason they could have, two guys used the following nameS: "Erindor" and "Real Erindor". Were those, per chance, some of my readers? Am I famous enough for that? Well, I hope so XD.**

**Have a chapter. If you like it, feel free to tell me so in a review. If you think it's bad, tell me in a review that it's bad and why it's bad. I want to improve my writing, so constructive cricism is alway welcomed.**

* * *

They're waging war on themselves.

Fools.

They won't be able to stop us now. While they have their petty battles, we'll prepare. We are just about to depart, and when we arrive, they will learn to fear us.

Soon the sun shall become black, and, in the Dark Noon, we will invade. They will bow before us.

The Great Day is coming, and Valoran will once again see the power of the Void. The Day of No Light will be Valoran's last days as a free continent. Soon, Runeterra shall be ours!

* * *

The battlefield was set. Erindor had sent them to a perfect spot, just south of the city. From here, they would attack directly to the heart of Shurima. Some would question this decision, but Xerath hadn't enough time left to attack the border. Conquering the capital would mean conquering Shurima, and he planned to be fast on that. Azir would soon be here, and he needed to deal with the troops before his arrival. That being said, he didn't calculate the Voidborn as possible enemies.

The Xer'Sai had been constantly attacking them from their backline, probably for invading their territory. They had some unpleasant surprise meetings with Malzahar's cult and one strange event related to a chicken, a cat and a cockroach. Although they hadn't fought any big battles yet, fourteen soldiers had already died. Needless to say, Xerath was not very amused.

He was far from the point were he could put up with Annie's teasing.

"Say, firefly, why are we this far to the south?"

It was really unnerving. He was able to keep himself calm enough to not just shout at her face.

"I already told you to forget that nickname. Were you even paying attention, Annie?"

From her not-so-amused face, Xerath deduced she wanted answers.

"Yes, I were, but I don't care. Now answer me. There are no Xer'Sai near Shurima's borders."

Xerath was really taken aback by that comment. Had he really forgotten to tell Annie they were attacking Shurima, the city itself?

"Annie, did I tell you we were attacking the City of Shurima?"

"What?"

Evidently, he hadn't. Now he needed to explain her. At least, they still have a few minutes before arriving.

* * *

As the Minister of War of Shurima, it was his job to protect Shurima at all times, and also to lead its armies when needed while the Emperor was busy with something else. However, he always thought he wouldn't ever need to do the second part of his job, considering that Azir was the current Emperor. Something had to prove his thoughts wrong.

"Sir, there is an army approaching us!"

_'__Fuck, just when Azir isn't here. I am underpaid for this job.'_

"From where, soldier?"

"They are coming from the south!"

"The south? Boy, do you even know where is south? They'd need to pass through the Xer'Sai's lands. No one is crazy enough to do that. Not to say that there is no country south to Shurima."

"Sir, come see by yourself if you don't believe me!"

_'__Great, now this crazy boy will make me get up to see some kind of mirage. Has everyone forgotten how they should act towards elderly people? My age tells me to stay in bed, for fuck's sake!'_

Although his mind hadn't agreed, he still got up from his chair and went to the balcony pointing south. What he saw was the scariest sight in all of his 69 years of life.

A true army, huge enough to cover nearly all of his eyesight, was waiting near Shurima's gates. He knew that their only chance was to trust in their walls and hope that Azir would arrive soon.

The question, however, was how had that army suddenly appeared south from where they were. Had Mogron Pass fallen? No, it couldn't be that. There it was no explanation.

"Be sure that we have all of our men ready to fight, and be sure to always have someone on guard turn. We need to wait. But first, let us try to have a diplomatic approach. Send someone to ask who are they and what do they want."

The soldier, although seemingly relieved for not needing to fight right now, still seemed very tense while he left to do his duties. Not that anyone would blame him, considering an army had just sprouted out of nowhere to knock on their doors.

_'__Where are you now, Azir? We need your help.'_

Sadly, Azir wasn't versed in the arts of mind reading, so his message was never heard by him.

* * *

"Ah, war! Such a trivial thing!" – This was a verse once said by a chemist. It had somehow gained fame, and had been heard by most of the Valorians. It might have been poetic and a part of a longer poem, but it still was nowhere close to the truth. War was one of the most complex and important human activities. Well, at least for noxians, and for anyone who had been inside a noxian war camp too.

A noxian war camp was something Noxians would set up in conflict zones. Such war camps would fortified by wooden walls, or in the few cases of lack of trees around the campsite, whatever they could find. It was really surprising how Shurima had some already fortified places in it. They weren't true forts, but rather rocky peaks that somehow formed a protected area. It was even more surprising the fact that those natural fortifications weren't used by the Shuriman as guard posts, especially considering how close to the capital some were.

They had found an abandoned one perfect for them. Large enough to be imposing and to fit all the army but still not way too large, making defense not very hard. Close enough to Shurima to be a real threat, but still out of their attacking range. It was really surprising it was not full of guards. Now they would have just a few more preparations before striking. Their victory was nearly assured.

However, for some reason, Annie was feeling uneasy. She felt like something was wrong. _Very_ wrong. She was never one prone to flights of fancy, but somehow that place was creepy enough to send shivers down her spine.

She noticed the problem too late. She was inside a gate. She felt the immense magical pressure exerced by the opening of a barrier between two different dimensions.

It was about midday, but it didn't feel like it was noon: The sky became dark, the air became as cold as night.

The sun in the sky suddenly was covered, becoming black and making the night fall on them.

Weird creatures, creatures like those only seen in nightmares, were unleashed all around her.

The Void was invading. Oblivion awaited.

* * *

Azir was seeing it, but it still was hard to believe. The Voidborn were infesting his lands, feasting on his people and relishing in the taste of death. What crimes Xerath had done, what treason Noxus was culprit of, it didn't matter. They were Valoran's hope. He needed to work together with his hated Magus, or else it would mean the end of Valoran.

He had planned to surprise attack Xerath and his army, but it wasn't happening. He was now going to dive head-first into a huge battle. At least he could call an army of sand soldiers forth to help him. Inside Shurima, he was not going to be defeated.

* * *

Being a part of the Cult, it was his duty to obey, to take part on whatever his masters wished him to and to do whatever task was required. If he wasn't able to do, he would die trying.

However, his masters were quite different from what he had expected.

"**Robed snack, your masters are waiting. Daddy wants news about the fight.**"

"Yes sir!"

The man, while heading to the room, had enough time to have a good look on the being that had given him the task. It had a serpentine-like body, two feet and a pair of hand-like appendages that had claws. However, the most characteristic feature of its body was its mouth. It was open wide, sharp teeth all around it. From it, a green ooze that seemed to be very acidic was dripping, sizzling when it touched the ground. Its tongue had a cannon-like appearance. From what he had heard, that Voidborn, which maybe could even be considered cute by some, was the child of the great leader of his masters and some kind of artillery unit. Overall, someone you had better not fuck up with, unless you wanted a painful death.

When the man arrived to the meeting room, he saw one of the most bizarre scenes of his life. In the closest chair was sitting a creature that looked like a mantis-beetle giant hybrid, certainly another Voidborn. Over the second chair was floating an eyeball of sorts, three tentacles moving around as he gestured something. Aside the eyeball was a giant Voidborn, which wore a top hat and a monocle. It towered over the table, making it seem like it was someone inside a doll house. The fourth chair had a mysterious creature. It was big, although not as large as the previous one, and it had a fierce red skin, its color being even close to a shade of white. It had four arm-like appendages, each of them ending in hands of sorts. Those hands had three fingers, all of them ending in long, sharp black claws. It had a wicked look, like if it wanted to kill you right there. The fifth chair had been replaced by a bed or something like that. Lying on it was an ant-lizard mix. It had six legs, the two first seeming to be way stronger than the other ones. It seemed like a creature used to live underground. The sixth and last chair had on it a creature quite similar to the one that had sent him there. The color was the same, although this one had a more erect posture, the mouths were quite similar, although this one wasn't salivating some lethal acid, and the main difference was that this one had two long arms that had razor-sharp blades sprouting all along them. It wasn't the biggest nor the smartest-looking, but it was by far the most intimidating. It seemed to be able to kill you in ten thousand different ways before you could even react. It also seemed to have some sort of royalty compared to the other creatures inside the room. The man, still somewhat astonished by the messy mashup of random details inside the room, didn't say anything.

The sixth creature had to start the conversation, or else the man probably would never talk by himself. It stood up from his chair and in a surprisingly silent voice tone, asked:

"Mortal, what brings you here? Are you the one tasked to bring us information?"

The man was still somewhat stunned by the truly bizarre display in front of him, but was able to babble out a few words:

"Y-Yes, sir!"

The mantis then spoke up, his voice more than slightly annoyed:

**"****Then spit it out, thrash! What the fuck are you waiting for?"**

The giant Voidborn seemed truly offended by his fellow alien, and reprimanded him:

**"****Kha'Zix! There's no need to be rude! Behave properly in front of our king!"**

The creature that had risen from its chair let out a command to his Voidbrothers:

"Stay quiet! We aren't here to have some stupid discussions. We have something to do here!"

The other Voidborn went quiet, and it continued to talk:

"Tell us now, mortal, how is the battle going?"

"Oh- oh! The battle! It seems that the locals, as we had planned, are far from being able to fight us off. However, one of the gates had been occupied by some army of sorts. It didn't seem to be the Shuriman army, but they are trying to stop us. They have been holding us back for about two hours now."

After hearing such a description, the being sitting on the fourth chair finally spoke up, its voice seeming somewhat like what someone could imagine feminine for Voidborn standarts:

**"****Hmm… Interesting! Which gate was protected?"**

"The Front Door."

Everyone inside the room stiffened up. The Front Door had been called so because it was the biggest summoning site setten up by the Void, acting as some kind of main gate if the Void was to invade Valoran. It being protected was something unexpected, to say the least, and the fac that whoever had been guarding it had holden the invaders back for two whole ours meant that they had some powerful foes there.

"If they are holding that back, I guess I have no choice. Kel'En'Rot, prepare your soldiers. Cho'Gath, call the Gath clan. We are going all out before our chance is gone. Oh, and Kha'Zix, see how many of your clan are willing to follow us. Tomorrow is the great day, the day where the sun shall not rise, and it will be the day where we shall depart."

* * *

Only one man had bothered to study in-depth about the Void. Only one man knew how the Void's society and culture. This man was Kassadin. In his _"Brief explanation of the Void and its society"_, he wrote mainly about the Clans of the Void and their organization.

According to him, the Void is divided in six different clans. Those clans are very independent from themselves, although all of them are submitted to the King of the Void. Those six clans are the Maw, the Gath, the Rot, the Sai and the Zix. Each of the clans have some characteristics that define them from the other clans: The Gath, for an example, are the largest and strongest of the Voidborn. Their population is quite small, but they make that up by sheer force. In melee combat, they are very hard to defeat. The strongest warriors of the Void, but not specifically smart nor numerous, they are good as living siege weapons. They are nearly unkillable, having quick regeneration and a very tough chitin.

The Koz are scholars and mages. Their intelligence is enourmous, just like their ability to learn spells. However, what they have in magical knowledge they lack in sheer strength. They can't even move themselves without magic. They are the second less numerous people of the void. The Sai are the second most numerous clan of the Void.

All of the Sai are fierce warriors, but their intelligence is the lowest of the void. All except one of the Sai are mindless drones that just do whatever their Queen wish them to. The Sai Queen is the only Sai that can be considered sentient. It is a very large Sai that can both reproduce and fight like no other Sai. The Sai are fully dependant on it and, if the Queen dies, the Sai are putten out of combat until a new one has been raised inside their Nest in the Void.

The Rot are the most numerous, being often refered to as "The Army" or "The Legion". They all fight, but most of them aren't really good warriors. Malzahar's Voidlings are examples of Rot Clansborn. A few of the Rot, however, are actually extremely skilled in combat and innate commanders. They also differ greatly from the rest of their people. Those are called the En'Rot (Kel'En'Rot is a good example of those).

The Zix are the most independent of all of the Voidlings. Differently from all other Voidborn, the Zix don't follow the regular etiquette and show no actual respect for the King, although they still take orders from the King. They're specialized in single-target assassination and one-on-one combat and can adapt themselves to kill whatever their target is. They usually aren't good warriors to a battlefield thanks to their lack of defense.

The Maw are the most versatile clan. Being the second smartest clan, they can learn lots of spells, with the most magically gifted of them being able to surpass even some of the Koz sorcerers. Their combat prowess is not less than that of any other Clan and in their own way they are fearsome fighters. They are used to combat both on close quarters and on distance, using their nimbleness to dodge the dangerous strikes their opponents would throw at them and strike back with their claws."

Kassadin, on another book, explained also the physiology of the Voidborn. In his _"How to kill what you can't fight"_, he wrote:

"The Clans of the Void greatly differ in shape and color, each having its own characteristics. To know how to deal with a Voidborn, you first need to identify which clan it belongs to. Start by the height. If the Voidborn you're fighting is huge, at least twice the size of a common man, it surely is a Gath. If it is about as tall as a human, they will either be an En'Rot, a Zix or a Maw. If it is small, it will either be a Rot or a Sai.

If it is not purple, red nor deep blue and is as tall as a man, it is a Maw. All the Maw have their body color close to white, some having a light shade of blue, others of pink or even green sometimes. They usually have an erect posture, but they are the clan with the greatest variations within them, having even four legged creatures with two arms within their ranks. Most of them have some kind of tail.

The Zix always have long claws or scythe-like appendages. They all stand on their back legas and have very insectoid features. All of them have wings. The can all fly, although some only for very short distances. They usually are alone, preferring to do their tasks in solo missions. They usually don't have tails.

The Rot are crab or spider-like creatures that can grow up to 4 feet. They are quite weak compared to all other Voidborn, but they are very numerous and very dangerous when clustered up. They're always seen either obeying some other Voidborn, acting as some sort of servant, or inside a large group of Rot, which surely is led by an En'Rot.

The En'Rot are the closest to humans in body shape. They are bipedal and have a red skin. Their size is usually a bit taller than normal humans, but not much. They usually have four arms, each of them ending in long claws made for combat. Their claws can cut through steel, although that takes some effort. Their skin is nearly impossible to cut, making them very hard to defeat during fights or in battlefields. To their kind, they are authorities as important as the King itself. They never have tails, and their bodies are all humanoid in shape. Always found in-between regular Rot Voidborn, which are part of their personal army.

The Rot are crab or spider-like creatures that can grow up to 4 feet. They are quite weak compared to all other Voidborn, but they are very numerous and very dangerous when clustered up. They are always seen either obeying some other Voidborn and acting as some sort of servant or inside a large group of Rot, which is led by an En'Rot.

The Gath are enormous beasts, creatures so huge and powerful they can be considered living siege weapons. All of them were born with tails, they all have six limbs, two or four of them being used as legs. Their color can vary from red to blue, covering all in-between those two. Most of them have about three times the size of a human, but some exceptions can grow exponentially. Those are the Titans. The Titans can grow up to a maximum of 500 feet, becoming creatures so huge they're used sometimes to carry whole armies. The Titans can probably destroy anything made of any material, but they're very slow and susceptible to magic, especially fire magic. If you see one, fire all your spells on him and take him down as fast as possible.

The Sai are all low, crawling creatures. They're seen in small groups, exception made by the Queen's sequel. They're usually about half the height of a human and they are easy to distinguish because of their two front legs that are very tough. They all have six legs and a tail. Their head lacks eyes, their backs have some kind of protuberance and they're usually underground. The only Sai that is taller than 4 feet is the queen. The Sai queen control all the Sai and is twice the size of any other Sai."

In the same book, Kassadin also explained all the weaknesses of all Voidborn. Sadly, his books hadn't been best-sellers.

Nearly no one knew how to fight the Void.

* * *

**Ten hours of description and details later, I still didn't make an actual battle scene. I'm a troll. Be cliffhangered until next two weeks are gone. I'm already guessing I will take two weeks for the next chapter, considering how lazy my ass is :V.**

**Also, I'm introducing a new part to my chapters. It's the "Review Reply" corner, a part of the chapter where i'll reply to your reviews. Duh.**

**Please, don't ask for spoilers. I won't spoil you all because of one single curious dude.**

**So, without further ado, here's first Review Reply Corner!**

**Guest: Yeah, wait another two weeks. More stage setting, more tensions raised and colder weather. Get Trundled. :p**


	10. Chapter 10: Tentacles and Scythes

Chapter Ten: Tentacles and Scythes

* * *

**AN: So, before anything else. I must say that I'm a bad person. I actually had most of this chapter already written by last sunday, but I was so lazy I failed to upload it until now. I don't have any good excuses to that, and I am very sorry for being this lazy. I hope you all can forgive me.**

**Also, I feel like this Mages x Void arc of the story is quite close to its end. I think it will take only one or two chapters to end this, and next comes the third part of this story. It will probably be the last of this project. After this one I already have quite a few ideas, although no actual plan.**

**However, it will take some time until I end this story, so you don't need to bother for now.**

* * *

Kassadin was truly overwhelmed by the facts. He didn't expect an all out invasion so soon. The Void had grown way stronger than he imagined. He expected the Void to be strong enough to destroy whole planets by now, considering those planets had no magic in it. Valoran, though, was different. Magic in Runeterra was developed enough to make him think that the Void would need at least a decade to unleash its power on its surface.

Had he been ready, maybe he could have prevented the inherent defeat of Mankind. There it was no way to hold the front gate by now. Day two had arrived, but the sun hadn't risen yet.

Neither it would, knowing what the Void was doing.

* * *

One thing the Void needed to invade efficiently was lack of light. However, night wasn't a possibility: the moonlight's sacred characteristics were as harmful to their portals as the sunlight's cleansing power. What they needed was a day without lights, a day without the sun.

Considering all that, it wasn't surprising that the Void came up with a spell that covered the sun. The surprising part was that they refined it enough to be able to cast them through dimensions. Something was casting a spell to block the sun, and this thing was inside the Void. That was enough to show the magical prowess of the Void.

Ironically, the greatest weakness of the Void is magic. All spells known to Valorians are especially useful against the Voidborn. They are frozen longer than humans by cryomancy, burnt more severely by pyromancy, fooled by illusions more easily. Magic truly was Void's weak point.

However, that detail was unknow to most Noxians. All of their soldiers, even the ones with a bit of magical knowledge, were fighting the Vodlings with brawn instead of brains. That was a good explanation of why they were being pushed back.

Their commander, however, wasn't pleased. He wanted all the reinforcements he could have. He didn't want to lose his grounds to a bunch of aliens. It was truly a shame that the closest reinforcements were two weeks of march away from him.

He couldn't hold his ground much longer. His shield wall was already falling apart. In minutes, he would be forced to retreat.

Hah, he'd prefer to die fighting, but his superiors had other thoughts. He would obey, after all, orders are orders.

At least, they had someone to cover their backs while they fled. His superior was holding the enemy back. He could only pray that she stayed well.

* * *

"Xerath, we need back-up."

After the somewhat unnecessary reminder from his former student, Xerath had troubles to contain his thoughts:

_'__You don't say?'_

However, he was able to get a hold on himself and said as calmly as he could muster:

"Annie, I've just called all the possible help I could. You know there's no one else to call."

Annie, with a look of disappointment stamped on her face, said:

"You know there's someone else whose help we could call for. I am saying we should call _him._"

Xerath, who at first couldn't understand what Annie meant, had his facial expression changed when he finally got who Annie meant. Considering that Xerath's face is made of rock, that was quite the achievement Annie just had made.

"_Him_? I thought you knew better. We don't need an unstable ally going wild on a field of murder like this one."

There it was no way Xerath would allow her to call him. He was Xerath's ace, but still it was an ace Xerath was afraid of playing too soon. Annie needed to show him that there's no use in saving an ace when you're about to lose. Just… how? How could she convince him?

Her train of thought, however, was interrupted by a squeaky voice that nearly made her cringe. It said:

"Firefly, since when have I allowed you to start wars without my consent? You know, you nearly made it impossible for me to get here in time."

However, the voice wasn't entirely unwelcomed. Actually, it was just what Annie wished: an ally whose help they needed.

Both her and Xerath took the same time to recover from the surprise and finally utter a few words. It seemed like they still had some synchrony from the time she was his student, as they spoke the exactly same words:

"Veigar! How did you get here?"

Another squeaky voice, this time a more feminine once, appeared in the room out of nowhere, answering the question:

"He took a lift with the butterflies. Wouldn't have arrived if it wasn't for that."

Annie's face showed quite obviously that she didn't understand the answer. Xerath also was baffled by it, although his stony face wasn't showing it.

"This time Lulu isn't speaking nonsense. I also had a hard time to believe that I was literally riding a moth."

Annie's face still showed how baffled she was, but she managed to recompose herself.

"Well, I need to go back to the frontline. They need me, and I shouldn't be wasting time here."

"Wait," interrupted a certain Faerie Sorceress, "we are going too!"

Annie, who already was leaving Xerath's tent, looked backwards and saw Lulu smiling at her. Veigar was just aside Lulu, doing a "thumbs up" with his right arm. Even Xerath had risen from his chair. Annie couldn't describe what she was feeling, but she knew that whatever it was, it was good.

"… Thank you guys. Really, thank you."

* * *

_'__Where am I?'_

"CHARGE!"

_'__That voice…_

_I know that voice from somewhere…'_

"RISE, MY ARMY!"

_'__Oh…_

_A name…_

_I think that voice has a name…_

_Lord? No, that's not it._

_Emperor? No, that is just a… a title._

_Wait… I think I remember now._

_Yes. Azir. That's his name._

_And I…_

_I am his servant. I must obey him._

_I must fight for him._

_I am his Legion._

_I… I AM SHURIMA!'_

* * *

He never thought he would see a fight between the groud and the skies, but he was seeing it right now.

Above him was a gigantic hole in space. From it, weird creatures, creatures that came out of someone's nightmares, were descending on Valoran. However, Valoran didn't seem to like it. The sands of Shurima were rejecting them, attacking every single Voidborn that fell on it. Thousands of monsters had already been crushed by its might, and, with each passed second, hundreds more were dying. The originally yellow sands of Shurima were now already purple, tainted by the blood of those foul beasts.

Hadn't he been so mesmerized by the display in front of him, he would have felt a presence behind him.

He only noticed there it was someone nearby when he heard Azir's voice.

"So here we meet, Magus. I must say, I thought I would be trying to kill you when I found you. Something had to make me wrong, though."

Xerath, who was really taken aback by the Emperor's appearance and even more taken aback by the fact that he hadn't been attacked yet, took a few seconds to finally speak.

"Azir. I didn't expect to ever feel relieved to meet you. The world's gone crazy."

"Yes, Xerath, the world's gone crazy. Or had it always been so? It doesn't matter now. It isn't like we are going to win this war anyways."

Xerath, for the second time in the last few minutes, was taken aback. Since when had Azir been so negative?

"What makes you say so? We still have force to defend Valoran. We still can win. And I'm sure you know that."

"No, we can't win. Xerath, I am already depleted, and I've been fighting them back only for half an hour. I won't last much longer. I can't hold them back forever."

After Azir's words, an awkward silence filled the air around them. The two could feel the tension in the plain. They knew what was coming. They knew that Azir wouldn't last much longer, and they also knew that, whenever Azir faltered because of his exhaustion, they would be overwhelmed by the power of the Void. What they didn't know, however, is that they weren't alone.

A voice suddenly broke the silence. Both Xerath and Azir were unsettled by its unexpected appearance. Or rather by the fact they didn't notice whoever had spoken up before he actually had spoken.

"How much longer can you hold them back?"

After eyeing the intruder with both disbelief and a slight hint of anger for a pair of seconds, Azir finally answered:

"Forty minutes at most. No, actually only half an hour."

"Give me fifteen minutes. I will hold them back after that."

And, after saying that, the intruder was gone.

"Xerath."

"Huh? What's the matter, Azir?"

"You know the matter, Magus. Who the hell is that man?"

"Oh, that one? He's Erindor. I'll explain that later."

* * *

Annie had been doing her best to stop all the Voidborn who were escaping the grasp of the sands. Up to this moment she'd been doing fine, not a single of the monsters having passed through her.

However, that could soon change. A large Koz had just passed the portal and it was coming straight towards her. A Koz she was familiar with.

"Vel'Koz."

"Ahh, so we meet again, Dark Child. I heard that you were stopping us from advancing through here, so I thought about how much information you could have. I expect you to be a very… hmm… enlightening subject."

Annie prepared herself, knowing what was about to happen. She then accepted Vel'Koz's indirect challenge.

"I'm sorry, tentacle guy, but I'm not dying today."

After speaking that, Annie readied one spell. Nothing fancy, just a plain fireball. She did like to keep it simple.

Vel'Koz, however, was one prone to over-dramatic spells. He charged an unnecessarily large spellshield, preventing himself from getting touched by Annie's flames. He then proceeded to charge an also gigantic lazer beam. That probably was a mistake, as it gave Annie a chance to dodge the otherwise lethal beam of Void energy. Annie then decided to try a new technique she had recently perfected.

Fire started to sprout all around her, forming a circle around her. Vel'Koz, however, was a bit too clever to fall in traps, deciding that it was in his better interests to avoid meddling with a suspicious fire ring its enemy had just created. He then rose up to the skies in a decision based off the fact that being above ground level would probably give him an advantage against a fire mage. Fire magic was very deadly, but it couldn't reach very long distances.

Its decision proved to be even better than what he had predicted, as the fire circle exploded, scorching every single centimeter of the ten meters radium of the explosion. Had Vel'Koz been just two feet closer to the ground, the flames would have hit him square.

Now, from above, Vel'Koz observed the waste caused by the fire mage. The intense flames had produced enough smoke to make it impossible to locate Annie.

He then felt a magical presence under him. Annie was just below him, preparing a fireball. However, he knew Annie was not one to make such a mistake, attacking him out of the open like that. No, there it had something else to that attack. A hidden strike…

There! Behind him, he suddenly felt a new presence. He countered the attack from behind with his own strike.

He managed to hit Annie in her chest, piercing right through her heart. Or right through where would her heart be, wasn't it by the fact this Annie was but an illusion. He got hit by a fireball from behind right in that moment, but that gave Annie's place away. She was really in the open, right where he had seen her before, and now she had failed at using the surprise effectively. It was but a matter of time until Annie was disintegrated.

"Hey Eyeball."

Vel'Koz, by force of habit, answered;

"What?"

"Look upwards."

Vel'Koz's eye narrowed after that comment.

"Dark Child, do you really think I'm falling in such a simple trick?"

"You really should look upwards."

"Hah, you know you're escapeless and are trying to do a desperate attempt?"

"Well then, you were warned."

After her last words, Annie turned around with a grin and started to walk away from Vel'Koz. The huge monster became irate after being basically ignored by his enemy. He was about to give chase to Annie when he finally understood what Annie meant. 'Look upwards' was actually a sage advice.

To his dismay, he noticed that a second too late.

He would forever be afraid of furry creatures. Well, that's if he survived to be able to fear anything.

* * *

"Good job, Tibbers," Annie said while her bear tortured Vel'Koz in ways not imaginable to humans. "I actually hoped he would live, though… He used to be such an amusing guy back in the day…"

Tibbers, hearing Annie's words, stopped hitting the burnt carcass of the Voidborn, turning back and looking curiously at Annie. He felt something wrong with his mistress, like something was off.

Annie's face suddenly contorted in one that expressed immense pain. A scythe-like limb had pierced through her abdomen, blood coating it after such a crippling blow.

Tibbers, now knowing what happened, ran towards Annie, if only to try to keep her safe until proper help arrived.

However, the assailant had other plans. Leaping towards Tibbers, the Voidborn made shrt work of the bear. After all, he had always been specialized in removal of isolated targets.

The Void's number one assassin then flew away, quickly leaving the area after removing his first key target.

_'__Only two to go now,'_ he thought.

* * *

His situation suddenly had gone from great to terrible. He wouldn't expect the two ascendant mages to be togheter. That just made his whole assassination plans impossible.

He would have to retreat with only one of his main targets removed.

At least that annoying eyeball wasn't about to keep saying how he "failed terribly" at his only job. Actually, he wasn't ever meeting the eyeball again.

* * *

"Holy crap."

That was the last thing Annie heard before passing out. She felt an arm wrapping itself carefully around her. Now she knew that, at least, if she died, her friends would be around. Unexpected, seeing how Kha'Zix had her as a target. That was her luck: even the most skilled assassins failed to kill her the right way.

She hoped she still had time, but if she was about to die, she at least knew it hadn't been in vain. Few could say they fought back hundreds of Void monstrosities before dying.

* * *

"Holy crap."

That was all Erindor could say: he had no special phrases to when he would find a friend dying on the ground.

Now he hated himself for never bothering to learn healing magic.

Nah, that wasn't true. He hated himself for being unable to heal. Some were born to heal, to aid, most were born to do whatever they wanted and a cursed few were born with only the power to kill. It was loathsome the fact Erindor fitted only in the last class.

Erindor, with the most carefulness he could afford, slowly wrapped his arms around Annie, carrying her bridal style to…

To _where?_

Just where would Erindor find a healer?

He had no idea.

However, before he got more desperate, he heard a very squeaky female voice.

"ANNIE!"

Well, weren't Annie and him lucky? The healer, for some reason, was already going in their direction.

"Hey, Annie, remember me to thank the gods later."

* * *

Erindor ran as fast as he could towards Lulu. When he got close to the Fae Sorceress, Lulu's face switched from curious to terrorized. She saw how badly hurt Annie was and proceeded to start some healing processes.

"What happened, Weirdo? How did Fire-Sweetie get hurt?"

"I think a Zix got her from behind. It's surprising she isn't dead."

"Hmm…" Lulu said, obviously in deep thought.

After about fifteen seconds later, Lulu had a great idea.

She started a very animated and chaotic chant, obviously preparing some sort of spell. Erindor couldn't understand a single word of what Lulu said, but the chant still brought him a feeling of relieve. The air was vibrating, even, with benefic energies. If that wasn't enough to save Annie, then probably there it was nothing else to do.

However, he had a mission. It was a pity the fact that he wouldn't get to know if Annie would recover, but he couldn't spare the time. He wouldn't risk failing that mission.

* * *

Erindor stood in awe right in front of the huge portal to the Void. He knew he had to stop the invasion, but it was hard to focus on something with such an advanced display of magical prowess that close to him. Nonetheless, he would do his job.

However, someone had to discover his plans.

"Don't even think about going in there."

Erindor should've expected. No man on Valoran, except by the Prophet, knew the Void better than his friend. Also, no one knew Erindor better than Kassadin. It was quite obvious that he knew what Erindor had planned.

"Trust me, Kass. It's the best way."

Kassadin scoffed. Since when Erindor had a death wish?

"No. I won't let you go there alone. I've been inside it, I saw its terrors, the abominations that lay in wait there. The one that should be trusting someone else is you. We can hold them back here."

"I second that," announced a very squeaky and high-pitched voice from behind them. "We have what is needed for this battle."

"We might have the resources, yes. However, have any of you thought about how many will die in this battle? We can't fight here, even if we'll stop them this time through a battle. It isn't an option, it would just delay defeat. Their number increases with each passing day. In two weeks they can recover half of their army. No, we have to answer by defeating them there. If I manage to end their sorcerers there, they'll have to flee. They'll be stopped from invading for ages. You know that, Kassadin. You know that even better than me."

"Erindor," Kassadin said with a stern look, "but what if you fail? How will we fight then? You might not have noticed, but your presence on the battlefields is enormous. We won't win a battle without our full power."

"Well, you're right. If I fail, we're doomed. However, I think it's worth the try. It isn't like we would win if we just stayed here fighting them. We would be doomed anyways."

Kassadin still hadn't agreed, and Veigar also followed Kassadin's line of thought. However, from the giant portal, a new creature started to pass. This one was something unexpected, at least. A huge, red Voidborn was coming out of the portal. It wasn't a Gath titan, but it wasn't far from that, according to Kassadin.

Then a very unique feature of this giant suddenly manifested itself. On one of his hands, he was carrying a pipe. He had an attire that was quite like a human's suit. He had a top hat restin on top of his massive head, not showing any actual purprose. He also had a probably unnecessary monocle equipped. He had six limbs, four being arm-like appendages and the other two being legs. The most pronounced feature of his massive body, however, was his massive, gaping jaw. He could probably swallow Kassadin in only one bite. He was one of the most feared Voidborn known to mankind. There it was a reason for him to be known as the "Terror of the Void": every single feature of his body was either made for ruthless killing or for battle.

Cho'Gath, in all of his might and power, stood right in front of them. He seemed to be actually coming in peace, as he had made no move to attack the three mages in front of him.

Kassadin decided to break the silence:

"What do you want, monster? Why are you here, if not to attack us? Say what you want, I don't think we will actually believe in you."

After speaking, Kassadin readied his nether blade. Behind him, both Erindor and Veigar prepared their spells, in case Cho'Gath attacked.

Cho'Gath made a disappointed face. He then said:

"Always the rude one, Kassadin. You disappoint me. I actually hoped we could keep a nice and civilized chat, but I see you can't keep your fiery emotions back. I will teach you all a gentleman's way."

Cho'Gath, who seemed to have been preparing for battle before, now unleashed a ferocious roar. It was so loud that it disrupted Veigar and Erindor, making they take a second to recover. Kassadin however, was unfazed. He quickly luged at the monsyer in front of him.

He managed to strike a good hit, but the monster's tough chitin blocked most of the damage. Cho'Gath counter-attacked bythrowing a volley of spikes on Kassadin. Kassadin had been ready, but one of the spikes was able to slah his arm. Not that Kassadin was truly bothered by it: the cut had been only superficial. However, it was enough to show how mighty Cho'Gath was.

He had suddenly found a very dangerous enemy.

* * *

Erindor, after recovering from Cho'Gath's attack, saw his chance. The portal was left free from any protection, and now no one would stop him.

However, he knew he shouldn't just let anyone pass through the portal, going after him. After a few seconds of thought, he made his decision. He would, before leaving, let a final gift to his friends. There it actually were two ways of stopping the invasion: stopping it from inside, which he was about to do, or making all the portals unusable. And a good way to make it unusable was to cover it with fire.

A fire wall. Nothing that Erindor hadn't ever done, but he still needed a huge one.

He had two minutes.

He wasn't going to fail.

Not this time.

* * *

**AN: Phew.**

**After a huge, action filled chapter, we finally meet again. I hope I got all the fight scenes right, but if I didn't, I hope you can tell me how to improve that. I don't think they're the best part of my writing.**

**Also, I know that this sudden self-sacrifice Erindor seems to be doing is a bit OOC from what I had already written about him, but I never told you all of his past. Wait for next chapter. You're gonna have a heca(rim) lot of flashbacks (or just a few).**

**What did you say? My puns suck? Ok then, I will just go back to my toplane.**

**You hate me, don't you? T.T**

**Oh, and is Annie going to die? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

**Hey, I didn't say she was going to die, just that she _might_ die. Get a cliffhanger.**

**BUT WAIT A SECOND!**

**I was nearly forgetting the "Review Reply" corner!**

**So, I got only one review. Way to go, guys. You know just how to keep me motivated. If you don't review, I can't even feel like anyone is reading this probably crappy story.**

**Anyways, dear "Guest" that keeps reviewing: First of all, I love you. Don't even think about not reviewing anymore, I'd miss you too much. I need that support you give me, or i probably would give up on this story.**

**Hey, if you don't feel like creating an account, you could at least come up with a guest name, so I can be sure it's you who I am talking to. You know, somtimes it gets boring not having a name to refer to you by.**

**So, that's it. Goodbye, my dear readers. See you all next chapter. (if you're going to read it)**


	11. Chapter 11: A game of cats and do-

Chapter Eleven: A game of cats and do... er.. mantises.

* * *

**AN: So, I have a new chapter for you!**

**Yes, yes, I'm not dead. And I'm sorry for taking this long to write a new chapter.**

**Basically, Life got in the way.**

**While I was writing this, I had my school exams, suffered more than once from the dreaded writer's block. An, in a certain point, I stopped liking my previous ideas for this and decided to rewrite it from the start. I am trying to favor quality here, who would blame me?**

**You.**

**And rightfully.**

**I can only say that I'm terribly sorry for not uploading anything in, like, 5 weeks? Or was it even more than that?**

**Anyways, Winter (vacation) is coming, and I hope to get at least two new chapters before school reopens.****Which means that until August I will try to upload 2 chaps, at least. **

* * *

Kassadin had hidden himself behind a stone pillar. The battle between him and Cho'Gath was far from fair. Cho'Gath had just what was needed to defeat Kassadin's fight style, which was based in quick attacks: The Voidborn knew how to stop him from his constant teleporting, so he couldn't even attack without risking his skin. Kassadin was losing it. Slowly, but surely.

"Hey," said Veigar, after somehow sneaking aside him. "I have a plan. It might fail, but it's better than nothing."

Kassadin, unfazed by his ally's sudden appearance, asked:

"So, what is your plan? Something like I bait Cho and you throw spells at him?"

"Actually," Veigar said, with his mouth slightly curved upwards, "that's quite close to the plan. You distract him while I prepare a spell back here. I doubt he'll fight back if he can't move."

Kassadin, understanding Veigar's plan, decided it was better than nothing. He then Riftwalked behind the self-proclaimed Gentleman of the Void, slicing the giant three times with his nether blade. It wasn't something that would really hurt Cho'Gath, but it still was enough to anger the monster, enough to even make said monster scream in anger.

Kassadin, somehow stunned by the shout, barely recovered in time to dodge from the volley of spikes flying towards him. He then Riftwalked to create distance between him and his foe. The enraged Voidborn chased Kassadin, paying little attention to anything else. That was a huge mistake, as he didn't see the markings that sprouted from the ground under him.

A cage materialized around Cho'Gath, effectively trapping him. Veigar, then, came out of his hideout and unleashed a rain of spells on the monster.

However, it was far from enough to stop the giant. After a few moments, Cho'gath charged through the wall of the cage and shattered it. He then kept his charge, going still after Kassadin and completely ignoring Veigar.

Veigar called a meteriorite. It hit the monster right in the head.

That was enough to call Cho'Gath's attention. The huge monster decided to finally turn on the yordle that was incessantly throwing his spells at his gentlemanly figure. He threw a volley of spikes that didn't really hurt badly the small magician, but did slow him down enough to let Cho'Gath cath up. He grabbed the tiny master of evil by the neck and lifted him from the ground, just as if he was about to eat the little mage. Well, he probably _was_ going to eat Veigar, but Kassadin wouldn't to let him do that for free.

The Voidwalker materialized behind Cho'Gath, slicing the giant's leg. Cho'Gath, feeling the sudden attack, screamed in pain, but that wasn't enough to stop him. Fueled by his anger, he raised the Yordle high in the air.

However, before he could have his appetizer, the skies went ablaze.

* * *

Annie woke up feeling enormous pains in her abdomen. She barely was able to contain screams, releasing a low grunt instead.

She, after feeling her pains fade a bit, opened her eyes and slowly raised her head.

She was greeted by a yordle whose usually cheerful facial expression had been replaced by an obviously forced smile. It was as clear as glass the fact that Lulu was worried.

The yordle then noticed that her friend had woken up, and immediately bombarded the half-awake woman with questions:

"Annie! Are you awake? Are you alright? How are you feeling? What happened? Who attacked you?"

"Hey, Lulu, calm down. I think I'm gonna be ok."

Lulu seemed to be about to ask more questions, but something stopped her. Annie saw her eyes glowing in a very unusual way. Slowly, trying not to make her wounds any worse, Annie turned to see what had called Lulu's attention and put the talkative yordle in such a contemplative state.

What Annie saw, however, also left her gazing in awe.

The very sky had become a vortex of fire. The storm converged itself to where the Portal recently opened by the Voidborn was, effectively becoming an insurmountable barrier.

It was obvious nothing could pass through it.

And still, that barrier gave Annie an eerie feeling, like it wasn't right. It was as if the barrier was blocking something, or rather, someone close to her, becoming a trap.

However, she had no idea of who could have been trapped there.

* * *

Kha'Zix mentally cursed whoever was the mastermind that created the firewall. The mage responsible for that spell had just separed the forces that had already invaded from the upcoming waves of Voidborn, and also cut all the escape routes for the Voidborn on Valoran.

He now had no retreat route, no way to go back into the Void.

So, as he was already trapped in that poor excuse of world, he decided to use his extra time to make an old… _acquaintance…_ a quick visit.

He set off south, towards the Kumungu Jungle.

* * *

Cho'Gath screamed in pain. He had dealt decisive damage to both Kassadin and Veigar, but now he himself felt his strength slowly fading away from him. The flames that sprouted all aroud him had been extremely nocive. He barely could keep himself awake.

He then saw a Noxian squad heading towards him.

"Fools," he thought, "I was already about to die. Now I at least will have a last dinner."

Xerath sighed. The Noxian fools were attacking an already half-dead beast so recklessly they were just about to die. He wasn't allowing their lifes to be wasted in such a way.

He charged an arcanopulse.

Just before the Noxians had reached the Gentleman, he unleashed his mighty spell.

All that remained was a pile of ashes and a squad of dumbfounded Noxians.

The ascendant, then, went back to the hard task of trying to understand what was happening. The sky doesn't go ablaze every day, after all.

* * *

Veigar still hadn't recovered from the shock. He escaped from being eaten alive by Cho'Gath by a fraction of second. He now was lying on the sands of the desert, gazing at the curious spell that had saved him. That spell was enormous, a barrier so huge not even its caster would be able to cross. And he knew who was the caster, as no voidborn would have lifted such a block to their invasion, and also as every other mage powerful enough for that was either too far from the battlefield or too exhausted and occupied to perform a spell of that size.

Now he had to make sure where Erindor was. He had completely forgotten what the suicidal mage wanted to do, having to fight a very specific gentleman in a two-versus-one duel.

He was afraid the fool had gone into the Void. And he was sure Erindor had done so alone.

* * *

"The Void is a terror unlike any you've known."

That sentence, which was once spoken by the one and only Prophet of the Void, was a good way to describe the world where Erindor was. Darkness was common, but he would prefer if it was absolute and constant. The void had plenty of things no mortal man should see, and those sights were forced on the mage.

However, he had his mission.

And no living being would stop him.

He headed to a huge building he could see in front of him. It obviously was some kind of palace, from its size. It emanated an evil and dreadful aura, dark energies that would make someone with a sane mind go the other way, but that aura was exactly what Erindor was searching. It was there. _He was there._

The King of the Void was about to receive an unexpected visit.

* * *

Kel'En'Rot was having a very annoying day. She had been forced to take guard duty, out of all things. Apparently, the King had expected some kind of intruder. She had very clear orders: No one was to enter the royal quarters without a written pass.

For this reason, she hoped this puny man in front of her had no pass. She wanted a bit of fun, at least, and murdering a lowly creature like the one in front of her would be a good way to pass the time.

"Halt," she said, her voice showing off how annoyed she was. "The King isn't receiving any visits."

The man, obviously in a rush, would have just ignored the tall voidborn. But she wasn't letting anyone pass without her permission. She placed herself between the door and the man, repeating her warning.

"I'm afraid I have to speak urgently to the King. So, if you would kindly get out of my way, I must get going," the man said.

"No pass, human, no passing."

The man sighed, like he was just wasting time by talking to the Voidborn. He got in a fighting stance.

"Really? Will you just stay there and block me the way? Well, wrong choice, lady."

_'__So, this little guy thinks he can just pass through? This might be interesting.'_

"I think I'll need to teach you a bit about combat against voidborn. Rule number one: Don't fight a voidborn inside the Void."

* * *

Vok'Maw, the voidborn who also was referred to as "King of the Void", had been enjoying the best reading of his life. While it was true that humans were lowly beings, they somehow had an astonishingly developed literature. Some of the human authors, like that one summoner called, if he wasn't mistaken, 'Badger', were innate comedians.

So, since the true King of the Void was enjoying a book, it was no surprise to him to be interrupted. Since he had become King, things couldn't just happen without him being somehow bothered. He'd have to speak something to that accursed En'Rot for letting someone in.

As he lifted his eyes from his book, however, he was exposed to an entirely unexpected situation.

A man, clad in blue robes, had just entered the room. He had a white mask hiding his face, and strapped to his back was a golden staff. He was dragging a knocked out cold Kel'En'Rot behind him.

He took a seat just in front of the King and, nonchalantly and with total disregard to the appropriate manners of speaking towards a King, said:

"Well, monster, I'm here to negotiate your surrender."

The king, seeing the obvious threat posed by this intruder, the one intruder whom had been able to defeat his most trusted war leader, calmly asked:

"And what would be your terms?"

* * *

The escape route of the Voidborn had been cutten, and so had been the entry way for reinforcements, but that didn't mean they gave up. Actually, it just made the voidborn fight even more furiously than before.

Azir had been fighting for hours, now, and he could feel how tired he was. He knew he had no way to keep fighting like that. Soon, he would just have no more energies to keep battling.

He needed a miracle right there, or else Valoran was condemned.

He then heard a deep, echoing voice from somewhere just aside him.

"A miracle, Azir? Isn't that far-fetched?"

He immediately recognized Nasus.

"Curator. It's good to see you here. I was about to lose my hope."

The huge beastlike creature kneeled aside him, probably just to keep himself at the same height of the emperor. He then said:

"I think we need them to win this battle."

That comment surprised the emperor, making him raise an eyebrow under his helmet.

"Them? Them who?"

"Those two. The noxian Juggernaut, and Renekton."

He should have expected such a thing from Nasus, but it still left him speechless. He knew what was going to happen when the alligator and the giant were thrown upon the enemies, but it still was a risky bet.

Well, better than nothing, Azir guessed.

He decided to let the two crazy warriors he had imprisioned fight. He hoped those two wouldn't attack the allies, but, if they did, it was the same defeat they would have if the wild murderers were held back.

* * *

He felt nothing.

No pain as he charged through the masses in front of him, even though he was repeatedly hit by their strikes, no contempt as he murdered every single living being in his way. No happiness, no anxiousness, no fear, no hope, no trust. There it was nothing but that feeling of void he had. And the masses for him to cut down.

However, somewhere in the middle of the masses, he finally found a worthy opponent. Some kind of huge shrimp was in front of him. It was easily a hundred times his size. Quite a feat, but he wasn't afraid of large foes. He was ready for anything in front of him.

Maybe death could free him from this void, but that shrimp wasn't giving him such a gift.

Sion raised his axe high, preparing to unleash his might on the titan in front of him.

He landed a crippling blow on the shrimp-like giant, severing several limbs. That seemed to attract the titan's attention.

But then, something stole the pleasure of the kill from him.

A lizardman jumped from somewhere, going straight towards the titan's head. He used his blade to cut right through the head of the enormous monster, making it drop dead in but instants.

The lizard then seemed to take notice of the juggernaut.

They both stared one at the other for what seemed to be for ages.

Then, the unbelievable happened. They decided they were not enemies, but rather, allies, partners in that chaotic battlefield.

They were a pair of warriors unlike any Valoran had seen before: It seemed that, together, those two could fight the world off.

Sion finally felt something else than that void. He could not tell what it was, but it was great finally feeling something.

* * *

Erindor stumbled back to Valoran.

He didn't know how much time had passed since his meeting with the king of the void, but now, it was time to stop the war unfolding back at his home.

He could only hope he wasn't late. There it was the small chance that the battle was already over.

As he heroically charged through dimensions, returning to his home world, he somehow managed to stumble on his own feet.

And let's just say that _falling into_ a world and _descending into_ the same world were two very different things.

* * *

Renekton had wanted something like that for years.

It was great, being back to fighting. The blood on the air, the dying screams of his foes.

However, this time something was different. For the first time in ages he had a partner. An ally in which he could put trust.

Nasus had betrayed him, but this one wouldn't.

This one knew the lust for blood, the need of battle.

This new partner was just like him: someone who had tasted the blood, and had enjoyed it.

And together, they would taste blood again.

They would fight, fight until the very land had fed them with its blood.

That was exactly what Renekton wanted, and the lizard could feel his newfound partner shared his desires.

Also, the synergy of their fighting styles was unsetting, even. Renekton felt it wasn't the first time he and his new partner were fighting together, although that wwould be hard to believe.

* * *

Rengar had been preparing to go hunting when he felt _that_ smell.

A smell that had long disappeared, but one he wouldn't easily forget.

The stench of the beast.

He stiffened, trying not to stay still. He couldn't help but feel anxious. And excited, too.

For the first time in years, there it would be a good hunt.

He readied his gear, taking care not to misplace any of his bolas and not to take the wrong knife. Such an occasion required his best weaponry.

Now that Kha'Zix was back, he had to prepare a proper welcoming party. He wanted to get his long-awaited trophy.

He **needed** the head of the beast.

There it was only one reason for him to still be alive: to kill the cockroach.

He had awaited for long. He knew the tricky bastard would have new artifices, new tactics, but he hadn't just been sleeping while he had been waiting; no, he also had a few new tricks.

He slowly lifted his javelin. It had been tiring, training how to toss this interesting weapon, but Nidalee was a good teacher. Now, his accuracy was nearly perfect, his technique honed as much as it could be.

He dipped its tip in the flask in front of him. That flask was filled with the most dangerous poison he knew.

It was very uncommon, a poison known by few. Zyra had given it to him, back when she moved to the Kumungu. A gift that had been very appreciated: just one drop of that green liquid was enough to kill an adult man in seconds.

He dipped the second javelin. He had other eight javelins. He would exit his humble abode only after all of those were properly poisoned.

"Rengar."

He slowly looked up, without stopping his handiwork. The voice that had called him was Nidalee's.

She probably had felt Kha'Zix too, and came to stop him, he guessed.

"You know he's back."

Her face clearly showed she was preoccupied.

"Yes, Rengar."

He kept on with his work. He grabbed the shaft of the fifth javelin, and slowly lifted it.

"And you want to stop me, right?"

He looked up, seeing that her facial expression had changed. It now wasn't worry, it changed to something he guessed as resignement.

"No."

He looked back at his javelins, resuming his work.

"I know I couldn't, even if I tried. But, before you go, I have one gift I wanted to give you."

He looked back up. A gift? _From Nidalee?_ That was… Unexpected, at least.

"Here," Nidalee said, while lifting her hand. It was a knife. A knife that was well-made, yes, but its size was way too small for Rengar to keep it as a main weapon. "I know it's not as big as what you like using, but keep it as a second weapon. I prepared it, and I made sure to use the right enchantments. It's more of a protecting amulet than anything else, really. But I hope it will be useful."

He received the knife. He saw that, although a bit small for him, it still was a great blade.

It had been carved from stone, probably by Nidalee herself, and he could see the magical runes she had used to enchant the weapon. It might not have been the knife he would use to slash and stab his enemies, but it surely would perform well were he to use it like that. He could clearly see how sharp the edge was, perhaps even sharper than his own blades.

The handle was made of ivory, probably because of enchanting properties, but that material was quite rare in the Kumungu. Nidalee surely had gone through a lot of trouble to get that material.

Its scabbard was made of steelwood. Steelwood was a tree natural from the Kumungu Jungle. It was very hard, nearly unbreakable, and also very resistant. Whoever was crazy enough to try to use it to anything would spend ages, but would get a very solid piece after his work was done.

It was clear that Nidalee had spent a lot of time in the preparation of that knife, and it also was clear that it was a knife he would like to have with him at all times.

He dipped the point of the last javelin in the poison.

He then dipped the point of his new weapon too.

He left his cabin.

From that moment, the hunt was on.

* * *

Many believed that he would adapt after eating a prey, but that wasn't exactly true.

He only needed to taste the blood of his target to absorb power and characteristics from whoever he fought.

And he always made sure to taste the blood of his foes.

He had never been fond of magic, but the skills he had just learned from his last target couldn't have come in a better moment. He never expected to fight an anthropomorphic feline with fireballs out of all things, but he now would surely use those spells to finally defeat the lion. He never cared about using underhand tactics, anyways.

He tested his power one last time before heading to the place from where his nemesis' smell was coming.

He managed to produce a fireball about as large as a soccer ball. Not something to be way proud of, but still a powerful spell.

He grinned.

From that moment, the hunt was on.

And he'd be sure not to be the prey.

* * *

Rengar silently stalked the mantis, or _cockroach_, as he liked to call it.

He had been doing so for quite a long time.

He had been following him for long enough to see something he didn't expect.

He saw the mantis preparing a spell.

He now needed to teach Kha'Zix not to bring spells to a knife and schythe-claw-thingy fight.

Well, he also was breaking the rules, but he didn't care.

He threw his first javelin.

* * *

Kha'zix suddenly felt something impacting to his chest.

It was a javelin. It didn't hit perfectly, and just ricocheted from his exoskeleton.

He was still alive, unhurt in fact, but it still was bad.

Rangar had found him before he could find the feline.

* * *

Rengar mentally cursed. He missed the first shot. He had got Kha'Zix distracted, but now there it wouldn't be more of that. He needed to change style, his enemy was ready for the javelins.

He approached Kha'Zix silently and swiftly, never losing sight of the giant mantis for a second. He prepared his knife and claws.

He then saw a small mistake he had done: he forgot to poison his main weapon!

He decided there it was nothing to do about it. There it was no going back at that point; it was either be the hunter or the hunted. He then leapt.

* * *

Kha'Zix was caught off-guard.

He had been expecting a javelin, not a fully-grown lion that surely weighted more than 500 pounds.

He barely avoided being cutten in half, getting only a slash through his chest.

It wasn't bad, but it surely was far from good.

It was the first blood of the battle, and it was his.

He leapt far away from the lion. He might have been taken by surprise, but he knew he had the advantage if he kept the distance.

Rengar, however, had none of that. He rushed after Kha'Zix, being sure to keep him always in his melee range.

Kha'Zix finally managed to hit his foe. He was able to slice at the lion's shoulder, leaving a deep gash.

However, he also go hit. Rengar managed to strike his leg. It probably wasn't going to stop the mantis, but it surely would slow him down.

Kha'Zix leapt again, finally managing to open some distance from Rengar. Hoewver, he had been followed by one of the bolas.

He barely had time to curse those damned devices, instead being immediately forced to parry a strike coming from his left.

He unleashed a little fireball. It should have hit, but something made the spell miss. It was like something had redirected the flames.

Rengar probably had found some magical protection.

He would need something else.

He cleared his mind from all thoughts, instead focusing only in the battle.

_'__Parry left… Dodge right… strike left. Parry left and counter… strike up… parry left… strike right._

_An opening._

_Fireball.'_

* * *

Rengar barely dodged the spell. He could even smell some of his fur being charred by the flames.

He leapt backwards, disappearing from Kha'Zix field of view.

He then went into stealth.

His predatory instincts were left free. He felt every single movement from his nemesis. He then sneaked behind the mantis. He somehow noticed the mantis also had used his stealth, but it wasn't enough.

Nobody could hide from him.

He noticed he had lost his knife. It probably had been knocked away while he jumped away from his foe.

He cursed himself for losing the blade. How was he to fight without the dagger? He had claws, yes, but those claws weren't sharp and long enough to penetrate the hide of the beast. He could use the javelins, but they were quite bad when in melee range and he didn't have many.

He then remembered he had a spare knife.

He lifted his hand to his chest, where he had hung the scabbard.

He slowly took the hilt in his hand. He remembered he hadn't touched it before.

It felt great.

That weapon was perfect. And he had his chance now.

* * *

Kha'Zix was hit from behind.

The blade sunk deep in his backside.

But it wasn't enough to kill him.

He turned aroud, releasing a burst of flames. And the burst hit perfectly.

The blade must have been the source of protection, Kha'Zix noticed.

Rengar was knocked back, his chest and face burned.

Kha'Zix leapt towards him, lifting his schythe.

He wasn't strong enough to end Rengar.

It was clear he had knocked the lion out, but he hadn't the force needed.

Rengar's blade must've been poisoned.

He fell on his knees.

Another second and he could've won, but it wasn't like that.

He had been defeated.

* * *

Azir allowed himself to relax after seeing the outcome of his decision. The two mad warriors had not only caused devastation in the enemy lines, but they also developed some unexpected form of partnership between the two juggernauts.

He could clearly see victory.

Not a war won, but definitely a good start. Winning the first major battle, especially in such adverse conditions, was never a bad thing.

Now the alien troops had been scaterred, only trying to resist in small groups. It would be easy to exterminate the remaining voidborn in such conditions.

It was way better than any human would have predicted; not even a seer like the Prophet of the Void himself could've foreseen a victory in that battle.

Right in that moment, however, something unpredicted happened.

All the voidborn that were still alive just disappeared out of thin air.

It was a mass retreat.

And, after they disappeared, the portal, that hanging menace above him, closed itself.

The last thing in this series of strange events was a light blue dot materializing on the dark sky.

Together with the blue dot, the stars and the moon appeared.

The Invasion had ended.

But what was that constantly growing blue dot?

* * *

**AN: Annnnnnd here we end this chapter!**

**I guess you can guess what's the blue dot... I KNOW! IT'S A BLUE FLYING VOLKSWAGËN!**

**Err...**

**Forget that.**

**Thanks for all the three reviews. Also, if any of you have doubts that don't include spoilers in it, feel free to ask away! I will answer every single review I get, be it in the "Review Reply Corner" or through a pm. Hey, I might even tell some... spoiler-ish... information through PM's.**

**Also, if any of you want to add me on LoL or Skype, feel free to do so! Well, if you are Brazilian like me, at least.**

**My LoL account (BR server only): Erindor**

**My Skype: Erindor**

**As you can see, I'm quite creative. It's no wonder my main OC has such a wonderful name '-'**

**But enough of this nonsense! Now I present you...**

**THE GLORIOOOOUUUS**

**(Draven pops out of nowhere and yells "Me")**

**(I kick Draven out of the room)**

**So, as I was saying, IT'S TIME FOR THE GLOOORIOOOUUUSSS REVIEW REPLY CORNER!**

**REVIEWER #1: A reader (guest name): Thanks for the praise, bro! (Or sis. Can't just pretend everyone is male) I don't think it would be very good to last forever, as there it would be NO END :**

**But you don't have to worry way too much. There it are at least like, 5 chapters, before the end :)**

**REVIEWER #2: Guest (And you really need to come up with your pseudonym. Just something like, say, 'Me', so that I can be sure the reviewer is you): **

**After doing... whatever they were doing? ****( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

**Well, all the joking aside, I read your review just after watching "The Avengers 2", so I was all like:**

**"YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"**

**"YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"**

**"YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"**

**That's... a bit of a overuse of "YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO", but it's for a good reason. You know, I had just been thinking about the same thing when I read your reply.**

**Anyways, thanks for reviewing. Love ya :D**

**REVIEWER #3: SpaceMageVeigar (guest name): Thanks for the praise! I know it might not look like that, considering how much time it took me to upload, but reviews like that always help me to get going! Don't worry if you have nothig to say, just write whatever random thing comes to your mind :D**

**Also, you don't need to be sorry, not reviewing isn't a crime, but reviewing surely is great.**

**For the person who recieves the review, at least. :p**

**So, tell me what you think of this chapter, good people! I hope you all liked it! Oh, and also, remember:**

**Poppy jg is op.**


	12. Chapter 12: Peace, at last!

Chapter 12: Peace, at last!

* * *

EDIT: A kind guest reviewer, one that named him(or her)self Space Mage Veigar, warned me about problems in the end of this chapter. I saw the problem, thanks to that review, and tried, at least, to correct it. Also, I would like to say that these kind of reviews, reviews that tell me about something I did wrong, are kindly accepted. My main objective is to make this story good, and any help in that is welcome. Love ya'll S2

Also, the "EDIT" took more than double of the original lenght of this chapter, so yea, it's like I released a whole new chapter.

As a plus, I'd like to inform that I'm already 1,350 words into the next chapter, so it shouldn't take... too? long for the next update.

* * *

**AN: Hello there, my dear readers!**

**First of all, I'm going to say I'm sorry in advance for the next chapter, as I have bad news:**

**I'm going to Italy. Tomorrow.**

**However, you might ask "How is that bad?"**

**Well, for me, it isn't. Travelling is great.**

**However, that means I'll probably not update this for a long time. Next update probably will come out only in August.**

**Yes, I know I promised two chapters until then, and instead am uploading just one, short chapter. I'll stop promising things. Always, when I say that I will upload in x time, i take somethig like 2.x time. If you don't like maths, I'm basically saying that I always take mor time than what I think i'm going to. And I need to learn to shut up instead of trying to make predictions.**

**But enough of that. I probably am just boring you with this endless blah-blah-blah.**

**Also, I have a few lines down there written in a language most of you probably don't know. Kepp min mind that it is intentional. In that part, they are speaking a different language from the common runeterran(english, if you're curious), so I decided to use a different language. But don't worry, I made the meaning clear, going as far as to add the translation.**

**Well, that's all for now, folks!**

**If I don't upload anymore at all, then my plane crashed and I'm either dead or lost. But don't worry, it's probably neither of those and just my lazyness.**

**So, here, have a chapter!**

* * *

He was running. Noxus, strength, what did it matter? He knew he preferred to be a living coward than a courageous dead.

He at first had thought those two were his allies. He now could clearly see how wrong he was.

Those two were only murderers. They had no allies, except for themselves. No reasons, except thirst for blood. No mind, except for combat.

The lizard appeared in front of the noxian, towering above him.

The noxian turned backwards. From behind, the Juggernaut was charging.

He was stuck, like a rat cornered by two cats.

He silently prayed for his gods to give him a decent afterlife.

* * *

Azir had completely forgotten the two warriors. He had been completely distracted by the blue… _thing?_ in the sky.

Nasus, however, had been paying attention. Probably because of his brother. The dog-like being reminded Azir that he had urgent matters.

Azir, at last refocused, casted his spell. The two mad warriors, whom had been bathing in the blood of the noxians foolish enough to stay near them, were contained by magical bindings.

Azir, however, wasn't done. He still had to get a safe place to keep the two. And, considering they became some sort of friends during the battle, he decided it would be good to keep the two together, as maintaining an escape-proof cell used to be very expensive.

* * *

It was incredible how proficient some healers were.

Just a few hours before, Annie was barely able to breathe, her wounds very grievous. However, after just an afternoon, Annie was already fully healed!

She thanked Lulu with all of her heart. After all, she probably would be dead by then wasn't for the skills of the yordle sorceress.

* * *

Azir was just shy of dragging the two giant warriors behind him.

Apparently, the two were quite displeased for having to leave the battlefield while someone other than them still could stand.

However, Azir's magic was strong enough to force them to so.

What Azir wasn't seeing, however, was the quickly approaching blue meteorite-ish thing falling towards him and the two giants.

Azir heard something crash behind him.

He turned around.

There it was a crater just behind him.

It must've been at least 15 meters (or about 40-45 feet) wide, being half that deep.

Also, it was partially filled with liquid mana, which gave away a powerful spell.

In the middle of the mana pool was laying a man in a light blue cloak.

Azir took a long time to recognize him. He just could be sure that it was that man he had seen earlier that day when he saw his staff, which had been tossed aside when he touched theground. The man started moving. Azir noticed the man had been laying face-down, which meant that by now, he probably had inhaled the mana. That was not lethal, it probably wasn't even very painful, as Erindor obviously was a strong mage, but it still would at least give him a headache.

The Emperor decided it would be best if he helped the other mage up.

After all, Erindor just had fallen from the sky.

Azir couldn't stop his mind from racing to two certain angels. While helping Erindor, he was thinking about what could have happened with them. He decided to ask some noxian about that later, as Morgana used to live there.

* * *

Erindor, helped up by someone, opened his eyes.

He knew that drinking mana could lead to hallucinations, but he had thought he wouldn't be affected as bad as most were.

He clearly had overestimated himself, as he was seeing something impossible in front of him.

A giant undead, carrying a huge axe, was walking aside a giant lizardman. They had been bound by some spell, but that spell seemed to be fading away.

The spell suddenly vanished.

The two giants looked one towards the other, then towards Erindor.

They started charging towards the mage.

Erindor was sure those had to be only in his mind, but he still casted a spell to stop the two.

He didn't know that it would be the spell to save his life.

He collapsed, drained because of all he had gone through recently.

* * *

Sion collided with an ice wall.

His lizardman ally also had been charging, but saw the wall and changed direction.

However, it wasn't enough. They had been trapped inside the ice.

They were inside some sort of ice cage. The walls probably were too resistant for them to break, seeing how a full-speed Sion hadn't even left a dent.

They could now only wait. They probably would be bound and taken somewhere.

The important part was that they sadly would have nothing to kill.

* * *

Annie would have to thank Lulu again later. Wasn't the healing skills of the yordle, she would, in the best scene, still be in bed. And then she would miss these curious sights she was seeing.

Annie had been quite used to weird things, being a former champion of the League, but seeing a crater with a pool of mana inside was a first.

And seeing two titanic warriors trapped in an ice cage also was a first.

And seeing Azir carrying an knocked-out Erindor also was unexpected, at least.

She could barely contain herself from rudely asking what happened, instead keeping her vocabulary at its finest to talk with the Emperor of Shurima:

"M'Lord, what exactly happened here?"

Azir turned towards her, very startled at first, but relaxing after recognizing the fire mage.

He then said:

"Weird things, Annie, weird things. First of all, your friend here fell from the skies and created that crater there. He probably is alive because of some spell he must've cast before colliding. That spell probably is the origin of the liquid mana. Then, I went towards him, with the intention of helping him to stand, but the mana must've interfered with a spell of mine, as Sion and Renekton were released. He noticed that before me and created that ice cage there, trapping the two, but then passed out. I don't even know what the hell is actually happening. A mage falling out of nowhere? That's well over the absurd."

Annie couldn't agree more with Azir. They would probably have to wait until Erindor was awake again to understand what happened.

* * *

Veigar had just been through the shock of nearly being eaten alive and then nearly being charred to death. It was no surprise he was passed out.

Kassadin picked up the small mage. He knew someone would probably be very worried about that yordle, and he knew the pain Lulu probably was feeling. He knew that pain way too well.

He Riftwalked towards the camp, where Lulu probably would be tending to the hurt. She always had that heart of gold.

He couldn't even imagine how she'd fallen in love with Veigar. The two were practically polar opposites.

The Voidwalker made a mental note to ask Lulu later about it. But, in that moment, his curiosity wasn't one of his top priorities.

* * *

He was floating in an enormous sea.

He had been there before.

That sea… It was the sea where he used to live. But, at the same time, it wasn't.

It couldn't be the Green Sea, as the sky had stars. He wasn't stuck between worlds. That was a good start.

However, it was just like the green sea: the water was a very clear and bright green, the sea had no perturbations whatsoever and it had no end. It could be as clear as the purest glass, but it showed nothing in the depths. It showed all of its depth, but the water ended before anything else could be found. The first thing in the depths were the stars from the other side. It was empty, and there it was only one sea like that. Consequently, he wasn't anywhere that existed, or at least anywhere he knew that existed.

He looked all around. After a few minutes, he became sure that his hypothesis was true.

He was inside himself, locked within his own mind.

He had no time to waste, however, even in that state: He started a meditation, trying to decide which of his options would be the best. That was very important, for his plan was in a very unstable place. It risked crumbling with each passing second.

And his plan was all he had left.

* * *

Erindor woke up.

He was in a room he had never seen before.

It must've been in some sort of palace, from the size and grandeur of the room. Its walls were made of the purest of all gold, decorated with silver and precious gemstones. It was very large, expanding both horizontally and vertically. From the style of the architecture, he guessed he was in Shurima, but he wasn't sure.

Well, he'd know it soon enough, seeing as someone was nearby.

He sat up on his bed. The person, who he supposed was a nurse, came on his way. Before she was close to him, however, he asked his first question, in the Common Tongue of Valoran:

"Where am I?"

Seeing as the nurse didn't answer him, instead looking like she didn't understand a single word of what he had just spoken, he tried to ask again, this time in the Modern Shuriman:

"Onde eu estou?"

The nurse, apparently still slightly taken aback by the fact he was already awake, and even more surprised by the fact that this outsider knew her language, took a long time to actually register and answer Erindor.

"Ahn… é… Ah, me desculpe, senhor. Você está no palácio do Imperador, na enfermaria."

**(For simplicity's sake, I'm adding here a translation:**

**"Uh… er… Oh, forgive me, sir. You're in the Emperor's palace, inside the medical ward.")**

So, he was inside Azir's palace. Erindor wasn't expecting such answer, but it was obvious, considering the amount of gold used in the construction of the room. However, if he was inside the palace and not in some kind of dungeon, it probably meant two things: First, Azir made peace with Noxus and Trigum. Second, his mission had been fully successful and the Void had been driven back.

That was a start, but he still had many questions. Questions those that probably would only be answered when he met Azir, Xerath and the others.

He asked about his other aquaintances, and the nurse directed him to the dining hall.

* * *

Shuriman cuisine was quite good, Annie had to admit.

She never was particularly interested in the culture of the desert-like country, but she was quickly becoming addicted to the spicy and tasty food of the country. It was very different from the noxian cuisine, which was mainly based on seafood, and this difference was for obvious reasons. The food was consistent of a few curious plants that managed to live in the arid desert and meat from many different species. She never had expected snakes to taste that good.

However, she couldn't stop thinking about Erindor. It was very strange, he was one moment knocked out, the next awake, and then he entered a coma? That made no sense.

* * *

Kassadin had been trying to imagine a way to make his question not be offensive, but he eventually gave up and just asked what he had been thinking to the Yordle aside him:

"So, Lulu, how did you and Veigar, well, you know, become a thing?"

Lulu turned to him, somewhat surprised. The pose she froze into was even comical, a single fried potato hanging in her fork, halfway to the mouth.

She took some time before answering, but for the first time since he knew her, it was a clear answer:

"It was back in the Institute. I, being the foolish girl I used to be, started stalking a certain mage I had a crush on. Eventually, that mage talked back to me, we became friends and after some time, I revealed the extent of my feelings to him. That's all, there's nothing more to it. No adventures for you, purply."

Kassadin smiled. It had been quite close to what he had imagined.

* * *

It had been quite annoying, sitting next to an emperor. Annie would've Imagined Azir as a curious kind of guy, as someone who would probably start conversations.

And he seemed to want to ask something, but he never actually went as far as to simply ask it.

Annie decided to start the conversation herself, as it seemed like Azir wasn't going to speak soon.

"Azir, do you have something you want to ask?"

The Shuriman hesitated, but eventually asked out:

"It's just that I was curious, Annie. Do you know what happened to Morgana and Kayle after the end of the institute?"

Annie hadn't expected that question, and only knew half of the answer:

"Well, Morgana is living in Noxus. She still owns her bakery, and makes a living out of it. However, I have no idea whatsoever about what Kayle has done or where is she. I never have thought about it, to be honest."

Azir seemed not completely pleased by the half-answer, but he understood she had no way to actually know and thanked the answer.

* * *

She had been so focused eating she hadn't noticed someone entering the dining hall. This someone, then, announced his presence:

"What? You're feasting already? And you didn't even warn me?"

All of the heads in the room turned towards the entrance, where a man stood.

The man was wearing a light blue cloak. It covered his whole body, leaving no skin to be seen. His face was covered by a plain white mask, and to his back a staff was strapped.

All of the occupants of the room quickly recognized him.

Annie, with surprise stamped on her face, said:

"Erindor! You finally have woken up!"

"Yes, I have. Why do you sound so surprised?"

Annie's face switched to a small smile, probably because her friend seemed to be alright. She then said:

"Why, you ask? Probably because waking up to then fall in a coma is perfectly normal and the most common thing in the world?"

Erindor seemed a bit taken aback by Annie's small outburst, but after a few seconds, he finally said:

"I'm sorry. I didn't think you would be so worried about me. I'll try not to lose consciousness next time I fall from the outer space into a desert, which hopefully is never."

* * *

Suddenly, the room started to glow blue, even though it was made of gold.

Everyone looked to the source of the glow. Xerath had just entered the room.

The Magus didn't waste a single second, going straight to the point:

"Azir, we need to talk. Privately."

The Emperor of the Sands first looked up, his body language demonstrating his curiousity. As he got no explanation about Xerath's sudden appearance and his surprisingly serious and severe demeanor in what was supposed to be a party celebrating the success in stopping the Invasion, he sighed and got up, going towards the door.

"Annie, you should probably come with us. We shall discuss important matters, and Noxus is involved in a few of those."

Annie, also showing to be surprised, quickly went after the two Ascended beings.

A figure hidden in the shadows revealed a small grin, but still went unnoticed. He had been there for hours, just waiting for that moment. Everything was going according to its master's plan.

* * *

Azir, who had taken the lead of the small group. conduced the two other magician to a personal meeting room inside his living quarters in the Palace.

Just like the rest of the palace, the walls were made of solid gold, but, unlike all the rest of the palace, Azir's quarters had some quite modern furniture, going as far as to having hex-analisers, some curious Piltoverian machines that allowed its owners to store and share data. It was unexpected, seeing such a mixture between milennia-old architeture and cutting-edge technology, but Annie and Xerath took the new information quite well; after all, Azir was a governor, of course he'd have some time-sparing technology to help him.

Azir cleared his throat, calling the attention of both his visitors. He then said, his voice showing a tiny bit of worry:

"So, Magus, here we are. We can have a conversation as private as any could be in this room. Now tell us, why exactly do you want to talk?"

"Oh, yes, the talk," Xerath said, refocusing on his original objective. "Well, I am here to, as you probably had expected, a few... _unsolved..._ matters."

Azir, once again in that evening, sighed. "Why did I expect you to say something like that?", said the gold-clad mage. "Is it about what happened in Steel Peak? I admit I was wrong, and I already offered a large sum from the Imperial Bank to try and fix my mistake."

Xerath laughed. After laughing, he started speaking again, his voice even more distorted than normally, giving off an aura of sheer power, aura which also had materialized all around Xerath's stone coffin.

He said:

"It is, yes, about what happened in Stell Peak. However, it isn't something that money can correct. You broke the fifth rule of the _Shurimane Lex Codice._ And, according to it, I can choose whichever sentence I want."

The tension hung in the air after those words. Annie was afraid things would get really ugly at any moment. Xerath's glow had gone from his usual light-blue to a very vivid green. Azir seemed very tense, like a snake about to bite. Sand was coming out of places unknown, like it was just appearing out of nowhere. However, Annie felt like something was amiss. Xerath wasn't that kind of person, someone who would try to ask for the head of an Emperor in the heart of said Emperor's empire. He wasn't a fool.

Xerath was about to try and kill himself? That didn't sound quite right.

He had his fate hanging, and his next words would possibly seal it.

"And I want..."

Azir lifted his staff, just about to cast a spell.

Annie got ready to try to stop the two before any of them went too far.

"I want, or in other words, my sentence is that one guilty and wanted criminal in Shurima must be absolved of all of his crimes."

The tension in the room, which seconds ago had been as high as the sky, dropped down to that of a group of friends hanging out. All of the sand Azir had conjured just disappeared, the Emperor returning to his usual stance. Annie also relaxed, showing a small smile. _'So the firefly was just making a scene... I got afraid for one second that things would get ugly.'_

Azir, after a few deep breathes, finally answered Xerath's request.

"Is that so? I guess the _Codice_ is quite clear about that. Not even an Emperor is out of its range. Very well, consider yourself restored to your former condition of a non-wanted person. Also, never, and I repeat, _never_, make a scene like that one again. One more second in wait and I might have just snapped and forced you out of the Empire. In the hard way."

Annie knew Xerath had no skin, but she could swear the Magus had just paled.

"Yo-you don't mean _that_, do you? Please tell me you didn't mean _that_!

She knew that Azir too had no facil expressions, but she was sure that, if the Emperor had those, he'd be grinning there. He had just made one of his rivals basically beg something.

"Of course I meant _that_! However, don't you despair, I am not about to do _that_ now. It was just a warning."

Xerath's relief was clearly visible, even though the Magus had no facial expression to show his emotions. Annie, the only witness of the curious situation, wondered what drove so much fear in Xerath. She had seen him using magic old and wicked,spells that could make millions bend their knees. She had seen him daring Death to go after him, challenging Nature itself, and getting out of those situations without a single scratch. The punishment Azir mentioned had to be something very, very scary to make her former teacher so afraid.

Annie decided to finally speak.

"Look, I'm not even asking what '_that'_ is. I just want to know why am I even here."

Xerath took some time, but eventually recovered from the shock of being threatened with _that._ He then said:

"Uhh... Sorry for that. I also have things to discuss with both of you. Annie, Azir, I am sure both of you are well acquainted with the Alliance made between Noxus, Ionia and Trigum. First of all, I would like to announce that, from this day onwards, the Alliance shall consider the Shuriman Empire as a friendly nation and, as such, allow merchant caravans from Shurima to pass freely and unobstructed through our lands. We also, however, demand the same rights. All of the Ionian, Noxian or Trigunian, from now on, must be accepted freely in Shuriman lands, as long as they have a few required documents. Noxus now must be considered an independant country Also, Trigum is demanding a material retribuition for the damages caused on a sad event in Steel Peak a few weeks ago. On the other hand, Trigum has admitted that Shurima also has a claim to a substantial amount of gold for an attack to the Mogron Passduring this week, and is willing to pardon all Shuriman debts as long as Trigum's debts also are forgiven. What do you say about these conditions, Azir?"

Annie was quite surprised by how mild Xerath's offer had been. Azir could've been a powerful leader of one of the strongest nations of Valoran, yes, but still, the armies in front of the gates of Shurima weren't shuriman, and he probably could have asked for a lot more.

Azir, who apparently also realized that, was made curious.

"Tell me, Xerath," said Azir, "what are you really planning?"

"Is the fact that I was hiding something so obvious?"

After getting no answers but a glare from Azir, Xerath decided to finally reveal the information he was having.

"I want this agreement firstly to not have to bother with another war popping up and mainly because of a trading alliance I am about to do with Bandle. However, it all goes down if I can't get a safe landroute, as Trigum has no contact with the Oceans, the conditions in Demacia are far too oppressing for any outsider to risk his skin by passing through there and there it was no rule about Noxus and ours trading caravans when the Alliance was first formed, and I know for a fact that Noxus would exploit this opportunity by putting heavy taxes on our traders. No, we need this landroute to ensure the trades go well. And this was the best way to make it sure to work."

Azir took a long time to finally answer, but his answer was not what Annie and Xerath had expected.

"No."

Xerath wasn't about to accept that answer.

"Xerath, I know you are about to protest, and do not even try to. You did not listen to what I suggest yet.

Xerath huffed in annoyance, but decided to give Azir a chance.

"Go on then, Emperor."

Annie couldn't quite believe Azir hadn't accepted, as the agreement was obviously a great advantage to Shurima. It would be freed of enemies that had proven themselves mighty, it would get a way to profit with trading caravans directed north with valuable Shuriman artifacts and products and, lastly, Shurima would be freed of a high fee Xerath had the right to ask for. What more could the man want?

"Xerath, your conditions are decent, but I will not accept those if not with a slight bonus. I want Shurima to be included in the Alliance."

Annie would have been shocked if she didn't know Azir. That one move had been a master's touch. He basically forced Xerath to accept it, as he would not be damaged and seemed somewhat desperate to estabilish the trading route with Bandle City. She as a representant of Noxus, also would accept, as it was sure to bring Noxus profit, and also make Noxus completely free, and the only variable was Ionia. However, even if Ionia disagreed, Syndra would be forced to give in, as two votes had been guaranteed and Lulu and Veigar would not object to Azir's addition in the Council of the Alliance. Azir's move had been very well planned, and that in just a few minutes. That man surely was a nightmare to any opposing pilitician.

Xerath was astonished; Azir truly had shown amazing skills in that request. He decided he would only be able to stall the agreement if he didn't say anything, so, he finally accepted it:

"I still have to call the council, as your request is somthing much too large for I to decide alone. However, I am quite sure your condition will be accepted."

Annie decided to keep an eye on Azir; he would be a dangerous enemy, so she'd better be sure whether his alliance was a lie to get him in a better place for a few weeks or something he intended to last, and she'd better be sure about that as fast as possible.

* * *

The crowd was very excited, nearly all of the population of the Empire had gone to the Capital and united there. The Emperor had an important announcement to make and he had called all the people to hear it.

"My people of Shurima, you probably are aware of a few important guests we've had recently, and I am happy to announce that we've come to an agreement. But, before I tell you which agreement we've come to, let me first introduce you our guests!"

While he said that on his previously set stage, six shadows appeared in the back of the stage, still hidden.

"First, we have an yordle. Meet Lulu, the Fae Sorceress!"

The crowd cheered as the diminute girl got out of the shadows and bowed her head before the watchers.

"Hi! I'm Lulu! Glad to meet you!"

After introducing herself, Lulu had her hat pulled up by itself. Out of it came a small purple fairy.

"And this here is Pix, my fried. Say hi to them , Pix!"

The fairy waved its small hand. After that, the two decided to make a small show for the people to see. Pix and Lulu, at the same time, released a wave of fairy, glittering energy, which exploded like fireworks in the sky.

The crowd couldn't resist the cuteness and cheerfulness of the Yordle, much less not be impressed by the beautiful performance she and her magical sidekick had just done. After a general "Awww" was uttered by nearly all of the present people, Azir called their attention.

"Next up, here is Veigar, the Space Mage!"

Another yordle emerged from the shadows, but that one didn't get such a positive reception. The way Veigar carried himself around, although somewhat comical, wasn't really what one would expect from a Yordle. The way he tried to look prideful let all of the observers confused, the magical energies he was releasing in his walk to look menacing not helping to accomplish anything, and the crowd decided to just watch.

The Yordle went to the limits of the stage and shouted.

"I am Veigar! Remember that name!"

Half of the people in there immediately burst out in laughters, and soon were followed by the other half. His squaky voice was way too much for them.

"HEY! I AM EVIL! STOP LAUGHING!"

Luckly for Veigar, no one could quite hear he saying that.

After a few seconds, Veigar gave up in trying to impress the laughing crowd and went back to his place in the back of the stage.

Azir once again regained control of the situation. After finally calming the excited crowd enough, he continued with the presentation of the guests he had.

"Let me now introduce you to Erindor, the Wanderer!"

The cloaked mage approached the edge of the stage, walking in a way somewhat akin to Veigar's, although without any magical enhacement. When he reached the edge, he did a small movement with his staff, launching a little blue bolt to the sky. Soon, a lot of shiny dots appeared in the sky. Not long later, those dots came close enough to be identified.

The whole crowd was left speechless.

That mage had just made it snow in the middle of the desert.

Even Azir was shocked.

Eventually, Azir finally got a hold on himself, and decided the show had to go on, even with that unexpected turn of events.

"Well, isn't that surprising? Snowing in Shurima? Never would've guessed it. But now, let me present you another of our guests. We have here with us Annie, a member of the Noxian High Council, and a former colleague of mine."

Shurima already knew her, but Annie played along Azir's little event. She went to the front of the stage, just like all had done before, and respectfully bowed her head.

"As Azir already said, I am Annie. Most of you probably have already heard about me, but for those who didn't, I am known for my skills with pyromancy."

Annie, then, conjured a small fireball in her hand. When she released it, the fire started to glow a fiery red, illuminating the square even more than what the sun already had done. A few of the people even had to cover their eyes or turn away.

The pyromancer, noticing she had exaggerated, made the spell tamer, so that everyone could look at it.

When the crowd all was watching, something very unexpected happened.

The snow, which was still falling from Erindor's spell, was reflecting the light coming from Annie's fire, creating exquisite effects that left the crowd dazzled.

Eventually Annie let the fire die out, ending the spetacle she and Erindor had, probably unconsciously, created toghether.

Azir took notice of that, seeing that Annie considered that she had done enough already, and continued the presentation:

"I have no words to describe what just happened. In the old times, Shurima used to be a place of wonders, but I have never seen anything that could match that. Now, however, let me continue to introduce you our guests. Our next visitor is Xerath, the Magus Ascendant and King of Trigum.

Suddenly, all the happiness and excitement of the Shuriman died out. No one could blame then; after all, Xerath was an enemy of their emperor and of them until, well, from what they knew, _until that exact moment._ The crowd was silent and tension hung in the air as the blue etherial being approached, floating, the edge of the stage.

The Magus was in front of the crowd. He could see each and every look of apprehension and fear, even, that the people of Shurima were giving him. He could see the hatred some showed, and he also could see he wasn't welcomed there.

He did something unthinkable, then: He, a King, someone way above the common people in front of him, lowered his head in a bow.

"People of Shurima, I am sure most of you do not enjoy my presence here. I know why it is so. And now, let me apologize for my mistakes in the past. All I want here is forgiveness, and any forgiveness earned here is probably more than what I deserve. I am saying, and with all of my heart, or at least the metaphorical one, is that I know I did mistakes and all I want is to do something to amend them."

After his small speech, Xerath made a sudden movement with his left arm, like he was performing some sort of backhanded strike on the air.

A puff of smoke appeared in front of him. When the smoke disappeared, all could see what had Xerath had done.

He somehow had conjured a fountain. Water, something that in Shurima was worth more than gold, was sprouting freely, coming out of nowhere. The people of Shurima had seen truly outrageous things in that day, but a gift like that one, and above all coming from someone they had always thought of as an enemy, was something completely out of their minds.

Xerath never had seen a crowd cheer him as hard as the people of Shurima were in that moment.

Azir already knew Xerath had something big in store for that moment, but even he was stunned by that gift. Xerath would've needed the whole night to plan such a thing, and also would've needed a very solid plan already in store. That spell he had just used, it was just unbelievable. He conjured a spell to make water sprout out of nowhere, which meant he had to know a kind of magic nearly forgotten by time, magic related to water.

However, no matter how stunned he was, the show had to go on.

"I, in the name of Shurima, thank you, Xerath, for this kind gift from your part. Let this moment never be forgotten, and consider your past sins left there, in the past."

Xerath respectfully bowed, this time facing the Emperor. He then returned to his place in the back of the stage.

"Now, people of Shurima, let me present you our last guest. With us, we have Syndra, the Empress of Ionia."

The crowd, that was still cheering Xerath's work, went quiet again. They had never heard of anybody with a title to match the title of their ruler. Whoever was powerful enough to have earned such a title surely was someone whose own existance required their respect.

Out of the shadows, floated forth the figure of a woman. Every detail of her showed off power and pride, not letting any doubts about her role as a ruler. She drifted foward with confidence, her display both beautiful and terrifying. She seemed to be not a human, but a goddess instead, floating with such fluidity into the view of the Shuriman.

She, just like the five who had come before her, approached the Shuriman as much as she could without leaving the stage. Her skin-tight costume, green and golden, directed the onlooker's eyes to her definitely not underwhelming assets, and also accented her womanly figure. She also wore a horned golden headdress, one that looked like a crown, but wasn't exactly one. Every detail of her clothing, body and looks either radiated power or looked astonishing.

Her entrance alone already had been enough to leave the crowd astounded.

She then lowered herself, touching the ground with her feet. Her stature was quite avegarage, but her altive and prideful posture made she look like she was above all other human (and the fact that she usually would be floating also helped to materialize that impression), so no one even noticed her somewhat underwhelming height.

She, after finishing her entrance, said:

"People of Shurima, I am Syndra, the Empress of Ionia. Now, be witness to my power!"

After her somewhat menacing shout, not few of the Shuriman were afraid for their lives, but Syndra hadn't planned any death to happen that day.

First, she took a piece of solid gold fallen on the ground, part of a damaged nearby building, with her mind, and crushed the metal beyond any possible recognition with just her magic.

She then lifted he right hand, channeling power to her fingertips. She released her energy in the direction of the walls, which had been damaged during the recent conflict with the Void.

Many of the shuriman ran out of the way, fearing for their lives. If she could've crushed gold with ease, what would a strong spell of hers do to a normal human?

The energy released became a green wave, passing over the head of the crowd. Whenever the green wave touched a building, it was restored to its state previous to the Invasion.

The wave washed through the whole city, repairing anything that had been damaged. No one in the square could see how far it had gone, but they'd eventually discover the wave extended itself way beyond the city, reaching the furthest corners of the Shuriman Empire, and repairing all that was damaged in its way.

The shuriman looked around in awe. The spell the ionian had just conjured was something at least as outlandish as Xerath's spell. She had single-handedly repaired the whole city, something they thought would take years, decades even, in but one minute.

"I have learned, people of Shurima. I used to believe that all there it was to do was destroy, but now I know that repairing can be just as effective, if not even more. I, now, know that it's better to have peace than war, I know that it's better to repair than to destroy, and I know all needs to be in its balance. You need not fear for your lives, for I am powerful, but I also am righteous. You commited no crimes I know of, and thus you need not be punished. Now, enjoy the gifts you have just recieved."

And, after saying those impactful words, the Empress of Ionia floated back to the group of guests, which had come closer to the front of the stage. She placed herself in-between Azir and Xerath, forming a line with them, Annie, Erindor, Veigar and Lulu. Azir, then, continued his speech:

"People of Shurima, as you might remember, I still have an announcement to make. What you must know is that, in a meeting recently done between us, we decided that I was to form an alliance with the present guests. We now have an alliance estabilished between the countries of Noxus and Trigum, the Ionian Empire and the Shuriman Empire."

That announcement led the crowd into a very excited state. Apparently, they needn't fear the most powerful countries of Valoran, as they were allies with those.

Azir smiled, even if he knew no one would see it. He had done the, as Annie had called it, "little staged performance" perfectly, and now he had an euphoric crowd cheering in his and his new allies' recent triumphs.

Things were looking very good.

* * *

In those days, with two ages-old sworn enemies suddenly becoming allies and more than half of Valoran uniting itself as an allied force, one could believe things would finally become good for the Valorians, that people who had gone through suffering unending.

Sadly, nothing that is good lasts forever. Eventually, that alliance could falter, and if it did, chaos would surely follow.

* * *

**So, that's it. The end. Now go away.**

**You still there?**

**DAMMIT! HOW DID YOU KNOW I WAS LYING?**

**Well, sorry for that dumb prank. This here is the end of the chapter and of this part of the story. The next chapter might even feel like it's a different story. I actually was still thinking about splitting this story when writing this. I might even be still thinking about it right now, but I am quite sure I won't.**

**Also, I have news! I uploaded an extra story under the "Valoran Bleeding" name! Go check the new, fresh "Valoran Bleeding: Side Stories" and ask for what you want! Feel free to either review there, here or even PM me to ask for me to write about whatever it is in the AU of Valoran Bleeding.**

**I also have set up a poll in my profile, to choose some sort of side project for me to write. I need to explain here that, no matter what, I will have one of those uploaded. It's that, although I love Valoran Bleeding, sometimes I need to write different things. So, vote whichever you prefer from the options I offered. The one that gets more votes will be the first I'll do. I might eventually write the other options.**

**Now, it's the time all of you reviewers have been waiting for!**

**IT'S TIME FOR THE GLORIOUS...**

**(Viktor appears and shouts something about his Glorious Evolution)**

**(I kick Viktor's ass back to Zaun, proceeding to lie down on the ground, crying because his steel ass was way too hard for my now broken foot)**

**(sniff, sniff) Well, as I was saying, it's time for the Review Reply corner(tm)! (I upgraded it, to make you reading easier. Now my answers shall not be in bold anymore, to make distinguishing one answer from another feel easier)**

**Review 1, from Guest:**

First of all, Me - wait, no... - you- ARGH! MY BRAIN! NOOOOOOOOOOO!

I just bugged the universe! HOW CAN I TALK TO SOMEONE CALLED "ME"?

Well then, "Me", I also had thought about how Renek and Sion had just entered the fray when all the fighting stopped, and I have to say, I also feel bad for them. And for the noxians that were close to them. More for the noxians than for the two toplaners, to be honest.

And they were doing their things, like farming the Q and helping the adc!

No?

Well, at least I tried :T

Also, I'm sorry for not including Urf. Your idea was incredibly good, but I already had what it was in my mind. And I know you probably knew it was like that, but you made me laugh a lot :')

Thank you for reviewing! And I hope you like the chapter.

**Review 2, from SpaceMageVeigar(Guest name):**

Well, thanks! I hope I kept up with your expectations. Also, POTATOES! I included a little sentence in this chapter thanks to your review :p

**Review 3, from Creator0fWords:**

Well, I'm sorry for the problems, which seem to be focused mainly on the few first chapters, as I already had expected. The 'Crownguards Brothers' thing is pretty bad, now that you've told me. I just translated it literally, without considering the fact that the word "siblings" even existed. You know, if you have a certain mindset based on a certain language, sometimes translations will be really badly affected by that. I thought in Portuguese to write in English, and failed to remember the difference. In other words, I fucked up.

Also, thanks for the advice! I might get a beta someday, when I get over my laziness :v

Thanks for all the help! Love ya! S2

**So, that's all, folks! Thanks for the reviews! Also, if you like the story, feel free to favorite, follow and review!**

**If you're going to review, tell me just what you think! Tell me about what's good, what needs to be improved and what's just terrible and is crippling this fic beyond all repair! (I hope it's nothing, this last category)**

**See you next chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13: The Crownless King

Chapter 13: A Crownless King

* * *

**A/N: IMPORTANT WARNING: First of all, I did make an update before this chapter came out, but apparently FanFic doesn't consider the kind of update I did worthy of appearing in the archives by itself, and I was too lazy to write and upload an update note, so shame on me. Be sure to check it out, in case you haven't yet, as I added at least 4k words to last chapter.  
****On a side note, thank you very much, SpaceMageVeigar, for telling me something was off. Thanks to you, I could correct that fairly mediocre ending and turn it in something grand!**

**SO, I'M BACK! SORRY FOR NOT WARNING IT IN AN UPDATE NOTE! BUT NOW I SHOULD PROBABLY NOT TAKE 2~3 MONTHS BETWEEN CHAPTERS!**

**Now, let's continue. This chapter here was a pain to write, mainly because I'm introducing about 8 new characters, I think? Do correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm quite sure there it are 8 new characters.**

**Also, some of the characters that used to appear a lot will not really appear that much, or at all, in Demacia. Sorry 'bout that, if you still wanted more Azir or something along those lines.**

**But now, enough of this. There's a chapter down there, and all I'm saying is in it. If I don't stop writing here, I'll end up spoiling something!**

* * *

It had been a sunny day in Demacia. While the last beams of light of the day gave the sky a reddish-pink hue, a crowd was gathering in the King's Square, the square right in front of the Royal Palace. This crowd had gathered because they had reached a very important date: in that fateful evening, Alfred Spiritmight would finally be crowned King of Demacia.

That man had already been ruling, but there it was a strong symbolism behind the title he was about to recieve. He, in that same evening, had been recognised as the Lord of Light, the leader of the Sacred Church of Light, and some even said he was the Nightwalker. If he was a man with those three titles, he'd be the first man, at least since King Jarvan the First, to control all Demacia, from its religion to its underworld.

Agent Nimblehands couldn't stop thinking it could at least have happened to a better man.

Alfred Spiritmight was but a puppy obeying its Iceborn masters.

It was for that reason his crowning had to fail. Once a man became King, there it was no going back, but for a man to be a King, a man needs a crown.

That's were she came: her job was to sneak in and steal the crown before it was presented.

* * *

Agent Viscero carefully sneaked in the gardens. He had been told by Overwatch to be ready to take action, if needed. Also, he'd be here even if Overwatch hadn't said anything, as he was the one who got the info from the guards.

A squad to kill lady Fiora, heh? They'll find a lot more trouble than they expect.

* * *

Her job had proved itself an easy task, just like she loved. Now she needed to communicate her success.

"Agent Nimblehands reporting."

"Agent Nimblehands, this is agent Overwatch. Info about status of mission Crownguard is required."

Agent Nimblehands grinned. It was even fun, someone deciding him out of all people would be responsible for the squad's intercom. She'd expected him to be in-between the troublemaking ranks. Well, probably he was too important to be putten in such a squad.

"Mission Crownguard was accomplished. 0 kills, no recognition, not seen."

Agent Nimblehands patiently awaited for Overwatch's answer. About fifty seconds later, the man finally responded:

"Perfect. Just what I expected from you. Head for route B, route A is being patrolled."

The woman, however, had different plans:

"Heading to Route C. Activating Camo. Warn me about surveillance of choke-points 1a7 and b007y."

The woman could hear the other agent sigh. He probably knew she had that in mind, and, although he surely disapproved her plans, he knew she wouldn't change it in its slightest.

"Choke-point 1a7 has nothing, but choke-point b007y has heavy surveilance. No mage-hunters detected."

The woman smiled. It was all just how she had foreseen.

"Thank you, agent Overwatch."

"You're welcome, agent Nimblehands. Also, be careful."

Nimblehands smiled. He had always been worried. Of course it would be the same this time.

* * *

Agent Overwatch surely wanted to keep his eyes on Lux, to be sure she was safe, but he knew it wasn't possible. He had a squad to coordinate.

"Agent Viscero reporting."

Viscero was already ready? Overwatch knew that that man was quite impressive, but just ten minutes ago he had been warned of his mission. How did he reach the starting point that quickly? Viscero sure was eager for that mission.

That meant only that Overwatch was having another of his frequent mental rambles.

Overwatch cleared both his mind and throat at the same time, focusing back on what he should:

"Agent Viscero, are you ready to start Mission 'God save the Queen'?"

"I was born ready, Sir."

Overwatch couldn't help but think about how true that sentence was. Viscero's life was all about Demacia, just like to himself, and they both were always ready to work for it.

* * *

Fiora woke up to some weird noises coming from outside her mansion.

She immediatelly reached for her rapier, preferring to be safe. It wouldn't have been the first assassination attempt at her life, and sure as heck it wouldn't be the last.

The Grand Duelist darted out of her room straight to the gardens, using her balcony as a passage. While doing so, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about how often sleeping in the ground floor had been a boon. It might differ from the traditional Demacian noblesman's standart, but having that quick escape route surely was an advantage.

The head of the Laurent House swiftly headed to the source of the noises. She, after entering the gardens, had finally recognised the sounds: they were defnitely fighting sounds.

She supposed those sounds had to come from two or more would-be challengers of her who somehow met themselves before finding her and decided to get rid of any possible foes before actually fighting her.

The woman, always her confident self, went head-first in the clearing where the fight had to be happening.

What she saw there caught her by surprise.

One man stood alone in the center of the clearing. Somewhat close to him were twenty-two men, within which twelve had the regular city guard apparel: Steel breastplate, a leather battleskirt, steel leg- and shin-guards and also steel greaves. Their armour pieces were quite plain, only sporting the Guard Emblem on their chest and no other decorations. They, just like all common Demacian guards, wielded spears as weapons. Fiora knew those twelve were quite far from being actual threats to someone like her, who had been training for most of her life, even if outnumbering her by twenty men.

Within that group, there it also were seven Elite Guards, with their feathered helmets making them stand out. They had in their hands vicious-looking halberds, with their glistening edges basically showing off how sharp they were. The armor they wore was less protective than the regular guards', having some of their metal pieces switched by leather or segmented ones, but that also meant they had more mobility than the other guards and could manouver their weapons better.

The other three man wore the apparel of the Royal Guards, a light, enchanted armor that protected them from harm, even more than full plate armor would. It also didn't hinder any movements of the wearer, making those men very quick and dangerous. They had their weaponso of preference: a greatsword, a spear and a warhammer.

In the empty circle between the man standing alone and his foes were three fallen fighters, all of them wearing the guards' outfit.

But, by far, the most shocking sight was the man in the center. He was tall, but he hadn't the arrogant poise or attittude of the Demacian nobility. His long, grayish hair was tied back in a tidy and well-done ponytail. He had a mustache, unlike most demacian, and a long beard. He was wearing a fine piltoverian business suit, which impressively had not even one single wrinkle. On his hands was an unusual spear. It was made from a silverish steel, looking in a way like it had just arrived from its forge. It also seemed to be manufactured somewhere like Piltover or Zaun, even though spears aren't used in those parts. To top off his looks, he also had his sunglasses on, even thiugh it was night.

Fiora was a long-time weapons fanatic, but even with all of her study, she only knew that one spear because a friend of her used to wield one like that.

It was the Mark-VII, a Piltoverian-crafted spy-spear that had many different functions, some probably useless, and was made of rare super-high-quality materials. It was sharper and more durable than any other weapon known.

It also was quite unique; only three had been crafted.

Two of the guards charged towards the man, trying to end him with a double attack.

They failed miserably, and two more guards fell around the man, totalizing five.

The three royal guards took control of the men and started to coordenate a quick way to get rid of the unexpected problem in front of them.

They made their plan, and two of the Elite guards approached the spearman in the center of the circle.

They hadn't even time to proccess what happened before they were already dying on the ground. However, Fiora had the time to see exactly what happened: The man did a sweeping motion with his spear, instantly gutting both attackers.

She had seen that fighting style before. She had faced it countless times in the past. She also knew now that the guards were at a disatvantage; that man was known for fighting alone against hundreds of men and winning.

She slowly moved foward, trying to get a better angle and watch better the events; she also wanted to be able to intervene if needed.

The man who previously was alone in the center of the circle now had been surrounded.

He easily would get away with that, but Fiora saw something evil.

The glint of a wepon perfect to defeat the lone warrior.

A firearm.

The Royal Guard carefully loaded the barrel of his pistol, making sure he was ready to fire.

The other two were in the circle, probably trying to contain the spear-wielder.

The gunman aimed.

A loud blast, typical from a gun, was heard. Along a pained cry.

* * *

The prisioner once again opened her eyes.

How long had she been inside that dungeon? She didn't know. Why was she there? Because she was dangerous, a foe of the current ruler and because she was hard to kill. _Very _hard to kill. They had tried.. Would that cage keep her in forever? Hella no. She knew she'd eventually get out of there.

That above was basically 50% of all of her thoughts, the other half being just deep, angry thoughts that most wouldn't be able to comprehend.

Her life had been very monotonous since her capture. And yet, for some reason she couldn't quite tell, she felt different, as if something important was happening just outside of her view. Something important related to her.

Not that it mattered, she wasn't going to know anything about it. At least, not until it was over.

It was even funny. She had tried so hard, gone so far, her hands just about to do what she needed to, but in the end, it didn't even matter.

* * *

"That was a good shot, but you weren't ready."

Fiora looked up from her last victim, the Elite Guard's blood staining her rapier. She, then, carefully cleaned the sword in the grass. Blood wasn't good for the weapons, and her rapier was her most prized possession.

"Since when do you parry bullets, m'lady?"

Fiora turned around, showing a small grin. Didn't that man know to not ask her about her techniques? They'd probably spend ages talking about it now, if he didn't stop her.

"Don't you remember that time when I deflected an arrow?"

The man still had a perfectly neutral facial expression. Had she not known better, she'd think he actually was trying to just start a casual conversation.

"Yes, m'lady. Yes, I do. But I also remember how many times you got bruises from trying to parry a moving blunt arrow. I don't think training like that would work well with firearms."

So, it all came down to worry. She'd expected other things from him. Still, in the time they actually had a friendly relationship, he always seemed to care. Almost like he actually was interested in her or something along those lines.

Wait, what if he was?

_'Fiora to Brain, Fiora to Brain! Stop overthinking things!'_

"Excuse me, Lady Fiora, but I need you to follow me. Now. We have little time."

She carefully examined the speaker. It truly was amazing, but his suit was still looking like new, even though they had just fought and defeated more than twenty foes.

Also, his face was just like she used to remember, the only signals of his advanced age his gray hair and beard.

"Well, I won't ask questions. Still, I'm surprised he's already after me."

The man directed his eyes to hers, starting eye contact and showing a half-smile.

"Really? Do you know who was your grandfather?"

"Good point."

Fiora followed the spearman, they both in silence for most of their walk.

Fiora eventually realised where she was being taken to.

"Really, the outskirts? Are you taking me to that rusty old fort?"

The agent didn't undergo a single change in his facial expression while he answered:

"It is the only remaining active base of our squad within the gates, m'lady. There it aren't other options."

Fiora sighed, showing her acceptance.

"Can you at least tell me which name you're going by now?"

There. There it was the half-smile again. It was sometimes taunting, sometimes actually happy, depending on the rest of the expression, but it would always be that same half-smile. She wondered why exactly he never showed a true, full smile.

_'Fiora to Brain, Fiora to Brain! I already said to stop overthinking!'_

"I was already thinking you wouldn't ask, m'lady. I am now known as Agent Viscero."

Now it was her turn to show a smile, even if hers was an actual one.

"Just like the old times, eh?"

"Yes, m'lady, just like the old times."

* * *

"Agent Nimblehands, come immediately to the meeting room. I repeat, Agent Nimblehands, come immediately to the meeting room!"

Nimblehands sighed. She had just arrived and delivered the package, couldn't she at least have a few minutes to rest? It's not like she had just sneaked past one of the most guarded places in Demacia...

She went to the room, clearing her mind. If she had been called that soon, it surely was something important.

She touched the doorknob, but was assaulted by a wave of bad feelings. Something definitely was wrong. She wouldn't have been called if all was right. Was it something she had done? Or had she been tasked with a mission to try and make up for someone else's mistakes? Or was it something else entirely and she had missed the whole point?

Nevertheless, she twisted the doorknob and pushed, opening the door.

No wonder she thought something was wrong, or at least different.

Fiora was there.

* * *

"Agent Nimblehands, please close the door."

The blonde complied, quickly closing the door she had just passed by.

Agent Overwatch grinned from under his helmet. He could see how hard Nimblehands was trying to not just explode with her probably exaggerated reaction

"Lux, you can show your reaction now. This room is secured and soundproof."

The light mage slowly removed her helmet, after being revealed. She took a deep breath, and then the greatest bombardment (of questions) in human history happened.

"Fiora? How are you here? And why? Who took you here? Are you ok? How's your cat been? Have you found a nice guy yet? Don't even try to hide it! I know you were searching for a man! Also, have you read that new book that just came out, the one about the girl who gets lost in Shurima but is saved by a prince? And what has that cousin of yours been doing? you know, the handsome one? And-"

Overwatch burst out in laughs. In reaction, Lux blushed.

"That's the lux we know, isn't she? It's good to see that, despite all we've been through, you still have this happy and cheerful side."

Fiora also sported her own small smile. She had not expected such a center of happiness in a formerly abandoned fort where a secret organisation had estabilished its base. It surely was welcome.

"Lux, you asked quite a lot of questions, but you still have many more to ask, don't you? Well, I'll try to answer them all later, when we have the chance, but I don't think we have the time for that now."

Overwatch and Viscero nodded in agreement, signalizing that they had important matters to discuss.

Viscero opened his mouth, as if he was about to speak something, but thought twice and instead said:

"Overwatch, I think you should make the announcement."

Overwatch apparently agreed, as he cleared his throat, initiating his speech.

"Well, I should warn you that the Grand Mission has been started. It's time for the rise of a new ruler. And it already was chosen. It had been chosen long ago. All we need now to finally overthrow the Usurper is the help of an old aquaintance of ours. One that I'm sure some of you have a few fond memories of."

He stared Lux intensely during his whole speech, putting in evidence that he was talking about her.

"Yes, my truly demacian brethren, part one of our Grand Mission consists in releasing the half-dragon."

* * *

Winter looked upon its dominion, her eyes not human; the godlike being's eyesight reached far beyond what an human eye could see. Right now, she was watching Demacia from its resting place in the mountains.

She couldn't help but smile under her mask. Things were starting to get interesting.

"Winter, are you sure about what we are doing?"

Ah, that voice. It was hard to be sure whether it belonged to a man or a woman, from its sound. It was harsh, just like its owner, and it definitely showed how unforgiving its owner was.

Winter had missed that sound.

"Yes, Ice. I am sure of the path I've chosen. We shall depart tomorrow morning. I know you were against this plan of action, but like always, the decision ended in my hands. You and Snow simply can not come to an agreement, can you?"

Ice's answer was just a scorning laugh.

Ice's body was fully covered in a thick armor of the same material that named her, an armor that was hiding every single part of her body. The only aspect of the armor that was not just raw, undetailed ice was the helmet. It was carefully sculpted in a traditional way of the Iceborn: It was rounded all around, two horns projecting from its sides and pointing foward. The rest of it was covered in small carvings, depcting religious symbols of their people.

It was quite unique, just like the being that wore it. After all, not many can pridefully claim that they rule the Freljord.

Ice's mouth went from its usual hard line to a thin, unusual simle. _'Interesting,'_ thought Winter, _'I am quite sure I have never seen a smile on Ice's face before.'_

"Sometimes, I even think you do not enjoy including me in your conversations"

Another voice Winter was used to, and yet another she had missed in the last few weeks.

Snow's voice was distinctively female, just like whichever few assets of her body that could be seen through her apparel. Her long, snow-white hair was nearly an artwork, carefully worked in each of its details. It was, yes, left hanging free, but it was always perfect, as smooth as the first snow of the South.

Winter couldn't hide her smile. The first snow was actually a good comparison to her sister in ruling. And that was not only because of its name.

Snow was as beautiful as a snowflake, as gentle as the first snow and as calm as the breeze that always would come with it.

However, Winter knew that Snow's temper was the worse. She could one moment be as radiant as the sun and as sweet as the ripest of the strawberries and in the next second become as lethal and dangerous as the worst winter blizzard. Snow's bad side easily would be the worst place to be in the world.

Snow used a long, deep blue dress that did little to hide her fairly well-endowed assets. Her figure was definitely that of a woman, and an attractive one at that.

"I'm sure you do. Just like you hate the cold wind of winter."

Snow allowed a thin smile go through her own lips. She, then, asked:

"Am I really that easy to read?"

Ice intervened even before Winter could speak.

"After knowing you for all these years, that is just expected. Especially in her case," she said, pointing at Winter with her thumb, "because we all know you two used to be very close, while I always used to be the lone wolf."

Snow's thin smile grew a little bit, in a teasing way. Ice almost wa regretting her words.

"Are you trying to hint at something, dear?"

Almost. But she didn't regret it. It had been worth. She got called "dear", in the end.

Ice's own smile also widened, although no one saw it.

* * *

The cloaked man had long ago activated his spell, and although it should still be working, he still wouldn't let his guard down for a single second.

To be sure it was working, he once again waved his hand in front of his face.

He saw nothing. Just like it was supposed to work.

It all had been quite easy up to now, but Demacia surely would be way harder as a workplace.

The old drinking song already used to say it.

"Demacia's a royal pain."

Many thought the people to be fools, but even those lowly pawns had some knowledge. Tradition was full of truths, and that song was no exception.

Especially now. The news had spread quickly. The Crown had disappeared. The King was desperate.

The Order of Light had already made its first move, and the Royal Guard still hadn't reacted.

They could soon come to regret giving this extra time. And they would, if it depended on the newcomer.

It all was starting to align itself. The plan had gone smoothless for long now. It now was time for the Black Rose to move.

* * *

**AN: Oooh, mysterious (wink, wink) I wonder who would this misterious man be (winking intensifies) :p**

**So, I guess that's it. Thank you a lot for reading, and, IF you do review, follow or favorite, thank you even more! It means a lot to me, and I'll eventually answer all feedback I get, be it coming from a guest or not.**

**Remember, a happy writer tends to produce 20% more content whenever they write (Totally Not Invented Statistics Not Even Being Used To Try And Fish For Reviews INC. has provided that info to me).**

**So enough of random thoughts to bother you! Let me present you to this wonderful invention, one that allows me to answer all reviews, be those from guests or members"**

**Yes, I'm talking about IT!**

**MEET THE GENIAL...**

**(Random Heimerdinger donging around pops out of nowhere and swagwalks all over my face, just to then Yordledrop Pantheon in a pit yelling "THIS IS BANDLE!")**

**What... the... actual... FUCK?!**

**Meh, not even going to question it.**

**Now, as I was talking, MEET THE GREAT "REVIEW REPLY CORNER(tm)"!**

**First review was done by SpaceMageVeigar, the second by Guest, third by Malleus08 and the most recent was done by doubleZep.**

**SpaceMageVeigar:** Yeah, Lulu's got 'em nicknames. Also, I defnitely saw where you saw the "rushed" part, and, tbh, you were 100% right. I did change it, so be sure to check the new ending out. I'm quite sure the new one will be much more solid, interesting and not feel anti-climatic anymore. Anyways, thank you a HUGE lot! Love ya. :3

**Guest: **First of all, me(No wait XD, that name I created for you bugs me so much :p), there it isn't such a thing as "late to review", and if you still don't feel like creating your own account (something that I'm sure you'll eventually do), just wait until you feel like doing it. And, if you want to, JUST DO IT! MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE! GET OUT OF MY BODY SHIA LABEOUF! I DIDN'T ALLOW YOU TO USE IT!

So, about Shuriman, it was just plain Portuguese, nothing special there. Why Portuguese, I hear you asking? Well, ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯. I guess it was the first thing to come to my mind, as I am a native Portuguese speaker.

I know there it is way more to VeixLu, but, you know, I'd need an entire fanfic to describe it completely, and I did want to add that, as Kassadin had a good reason to ask.

So, the two blood-thirsty warriors did cause a lot of distress in the Noxian army, but I guess that I could have described that better... Nah, I think there it is enough of them... for now.

Well, I'm happy to hear something that I already had supposed in my mind, and that is that I got you caught with the plot. Thank you for being my most regular reviewer, and remember that I love ya with all of my heart! '3'

**Malleus08: **Thank you for the praise! It definitely is appreciated! Also, good to know someone really liked the Void I created (Hah, see what I did there?). It took a lot of time, but it all was to hear something like that. Thank you a lot for reviewing, and thus supporting, both of my projects! There it is no way for me to show how grateful I am, but I hope that the same old "Love ya" will do it. So, love ya, bro!

**doubleZep:** WHY CAN'T I HAVE SUCH GOOD IDEAS! NOW ALL THE MERCILESS MURDER I HAD THE CHANCE TO ADD TEN CHAPTERS AGO IS JUST GONE! NOOOOOOOOOO!

Well, thank you very much for reviewing, and I hope you are liking this story as much as I enjoyed reading your review. Let me now add the slightly overused end to my replies: "Love ya"!

**So, thank all the readers who didn't review too! It's for you guys that I write!**

**Anyways, this is it. Now, it is time to end this with a just slightly overused final two (three, rather) words: "Love ya" all!**


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